Seasons of Miracles
by Kirino
Summary: Three men, similar fates. Their loved ones, magnets of misfortune. One man befriends them, promising help. Can they save their loved ones from the evil trying to take their life forces? AIRxKanonxClannadxFate/stay nightxCodeGeassxSuzumiyaHaruhi crossover
1. Summer's Fall

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted characters in this fanfic._

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**Prologue: Summer's Fall**

When Yukito woke up, he realized that he was back in Misuzu's room, as if nothing had happened. He looked out towards the window in her room, and saw that it was still nighttime. He then remembered in a flash the dream that he just had:

"_Yukito. Now is the time for you to do what you must. She is the one you have been looking for all this time. The girl in the sky… Misuzu,_" _said a voice._

_He looked for the source of the voice and saw, to his surprise, a younger version of himself._

"_Use the power that Mother and Grandmother and before them, our ancestors, sealed within the doll you have right now. With that power, you can help Misuzu find happiness, so that the curse will be broken. Do it successfully and when she has the last dream, she will not forget everything and die, instead she will be reborn, given a second chance at life," said his younger self. _

Yukito shifted his gaze from the window towards the blond girl sleeping in the bed, hugging a stuffed dinosaur doll.

"To break the curse… I need her to experience true happiness and friendship," Yukito whispered to himself. "But if that's the case… That's it, I guess. I've been happy staying here with Misuzu. All my life, I've wandered and traveled, trying to find the girl in the sky that I had to save. Perhaps it is fate's hand that guided me towards my first true friend, the girl in the sky that I had been longing to find ever since the day I left my home. But perhaps not only my first true friend, but someone I had grown to love more than myself, even."

And Yukito now knew exactly how to break the curse on Misuzu. He had to confirm if Misuzu, despite the curse that had been placed on her, the curse that involuntarily caused her to experience pain, anguish and sadness whenever she got close to someone, also felt the same way about him.

There was only one way to find out. The last dream was happening right now. He had to break the curse now, or Misuzu would never wake up.

Yukito stood up and sat down on Misuzu's bed. He gently touched her face and said,

"Misuzu. Hey, Misuzu, wake up. Misuzuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…"

"Y-Yukito-san… H-help me," she moaned.

_Shit! She's already within the last dream. If I don't help her now, she could die! I can't let that happen!_

"Misuzu! Misuzu! I'm right here!" shouted Yukito as he gripped Misuzu's hand. "Misuzu! Misuzu! Wake up, Misuzu!"

Misuzu still wasn't waking up, and Yukito knew he was running out of time. Then, without warning, everything turned white for Yukito.

"_Yukito-san," said a woman's voice._

"_Who are you?" asked Yukito._

"_Heed my words first. You never really needed the power of the doll from your mother and grandmother. The power to help Kanna--__, I mean Misuzu was always within you," said the woman. "Trust your heart, and it will show you the way."_

Before he knew it, he was back in the bedroom, still holding onto Misuzu's hand, while she was writhing in pain. There was only one thing he could do now, and it was now or never. Yukito let go of Misuzu's hand, and he gently held her face in his hands, and he simply kissed her.

Misuzu's eyes snapped open, and Yukito broke away immediately.

"M-Misuzu! You're alright!" Yukito exclaimed.

"I am now, Yukito-san. Thank you for saving me," said Misuzu as she sat up in bed.

"Misuzu… I realized that I was happy being with you. I realized that my travels were over at the moment that I set foot in this town. You were the girl in the sky that I had journeyed for so long to find and save. I'm glad that I was finally able to fulfill my life's goal. Now, I can be happy staying here with you," said Yukito.

"I know, Yukito-san. I knew that you were happy when you were with me, even if it has only been two months. When I met you for the first time, there was something about you that seemed so detached. But after spending your time here, you began to slowly open up to others. You even started to help others, like Kirishima-san and Tohno-san," said Misuzu. "I'm sorry if I might appear to be conceited, but I honestly think that your time with me has changed you into a better person."

"It's okay Misuzu, because I agree with you."

He then took Misuzu's hand in his and said,

"Misuzu… Can we be together from now on?"

Misuzu was turning pink in the cheeks, and she replied,

"Of course, Yukito-san."

"Misuzu… I think I'm in love with you," blurted out Yukito all of a sudden.

"Yukito-san… I _know _that _I_ am," replied Misuzu, as she leaned towards Yukito to kiss him.

* * *

A year and three months had passed since then. Yukito still lived in Misuzu's home, along with Haruko. After Yukito explained everything to Haruko, she became closer to Misuzu than she had ever been before. She had said,

"Finally, now I can stop holding back. I can finally love Misuzu."

Yukito had found a permanent job at the Kirishima clinic. Hijiri taught him useful things, things that would be useful to someone assisting a doctor. He also did manual labor, and he had enough money so that he wouldn't be such a freeloader at the Kamio household.

One day, during fall, Yukito was watching the Kamio household; Misuzu was in school, and Haruko was out at work, when the phone suddenly rang. He picked up the phone.

"Hello, is this the Kamio household?" shouted a voice over the phone.

"Yes, this the Kamio household, may I know who's speaking?" asked Yukito.

"I'm a teacher at Misuzu's school. There's been an emergency here. Earlier, I was patrolling the corridors when I found her slumped against a broom closet's door, clutching her head. She suddenly started to shout the words, 'Please make it stop, it hurts!' over and over again, and just as suddenly as she started, she suddenly stopped and fell limp onto the floor. I performed CPR on her and we phoned the Kirishima clinic, because the nearest hospital is miles away. Kirishima-san immediately proceeded here, but when she arrived… "

"WHAT!? WHAT HAPPENED TO MISUZU!?" Yukito shouted.

"According to her, she suffered a fourth grade aneurysm. Kirishima-san was perplexed, as despite Misuzu's tendency to fall ill, a fourth grade aneurysm was typical of older people who had extremely unhealthy diets. Obviously, Misuzu does not fall into those categories so─"

"CUT THE CRAP AND GET TO THE POINT!" screamed Yukito through the phone. "How is she right now?"

"I was about to tell you just that. I'm sorry, but we couldn't save her. A fourth grade aneurysm only has around a 20% survival rate if the patient is treated at a hospital. With that not happening, the odds were even lowered against our favor. I'm sorry," said the man.

Without another word, Yukito shut the phone. He dialed Haruko's number and gave her the bad news. After that was done, Yukito just slumped against Misuzu's room and thought about everything.

_And just last night, we were building a card house in her room. I would never be able to do that with her again…_

With that realization, Yukito Kunisaki began to cry.

* * *

Misuzu's funeral was a small affair. Only the people she had made friends with were there. The Kirishimas came over and paid their respects, and Minagi and her sister Michiru also came. Misuzu's biological father was there, with his new wife and their child. Haruko still couldn't stop sobbing, but Yukito had already become an emotionless stoic. He tried to detach himself from everything, so that this loss wouldn't be as painful as it really should be.

That night, after Misuzu was buried, Yukito and Haruko both drank their guts out. The Kamio household was such a mess, with two bawling drunkards inside it, grieving the death of Misuzu.

Nothing productive happened, and when Yukito came to, it was already morning.

"What a night… I shouldn't have done that… But yeah, perhaps it's for the best that I distract myself from…"

He couldn't bear to say her name.

Yukito then cleaned up, all the while wondering where Haruko was. When he reached her room, his question was answered in the form of a note that was on her table.

_Dear Yukito,_

_I have decided to get away from this town. I'm sorry if it was this sudden, as we were just drinking all night long last night, but I have to do this. The only way for me to forget about all of this is to get away from the place where it all happened. I'm sorry for leaving everything to you Yukito, but since you were Misuzu's boyfriend, I knew that I could trust you. You are now the owner of my house until I come back. Please watch over everything until them. And once again, I'm really sorry._

_With love, Haruko._

With the note were the keys to the house. Yukito picked them up, along with Haruko's note, and pocketed them.

He took his rucksack, put the doll in it, locked up the house, and wandered around town aimlessly. He really needed some sort of guidance right now, so he decided to walk towards the town's shrine. As he walked there, he remembered the past year that he spent with Misuzu, despite all his efforts not to think about her. The days that they played with each other in her room, the day that they went to the beach, the day that they first kissed, the day that they admitted to each other that they were in love with each other… All of it was torture for Yukito.

When he arrived at the shrine, he rang the bells and prayed to the gods that he wouldn't go mad with Misuzu's death. He prayed that someone could be able to help him, and he also prayed that, though impossible it may seem, somehow, Misuzu could come back.

"Nah… That's impossible," said Yukito to himself.

"Oh, I don't think it's that impossible."

Yukito abruptly turned to the voice and he saw a young man wearing a t-shirt and jeans.

"What's your problem anyway? This is none of your business," snapped Yukito.

"Now now, Yukito-san, let's not be rude. I know how I can help you," said the young man.

"Wait a minute… How do you know my name?" asked Yukito.

"Nevermind that, that isn't important. I know a lot of people's names, so that isn't really a problem, is it? Anyway, I can help you bring Misuzu back," he said.

Yukito choked and asked,

"H-How?"

"It's going to be a long and complicated journey, but if we succeed, I think not only will I be able to help you, but two other men who have suffered the same fate."

"Wait a second. How can I trust you? How can I make sure that you're not just some swindler who's trying to make money off of me?" said Yukito, one eyebrow raised.

"I can't. Nothing I can say will logically convince you. But, after all, no one else has offered to help you bring Misuzu back, and you're probably desperate, since you would've been lovers and all…"

Yukito charged towards the man in anger and grabbed the man by the shirt.

"Don't. Say. That," said Yukito angrily.

"I'm sorry if I was rude, but you'll just have to trust me if you want to try to bring Misuzu back."

"Fine, I will," grumbled Yukito. "So, where do we start?"

"Firstly, I'll introduce myself. My name is Alan. It doesn't matter what my surname is, so just call me Alan," said the man.

"Alright then, Alan."

"Now, with that out of the way, we're going on a cross-country trip. But I think I can make things much faster if we travel _my way_," chuckled Alan.

He waved his hands and suddenly, the shrine disappeared from Yukito's eyes, and the next thing he knew was that he was sitting on a wooden bench that was located near a train-station. What surprised him the most was that it was _snowing_.

"How the hell…?" Yukito trailed.

"Don't think about how, just appreciate the fact that you're here," said Alan, who was sitting on the bench beside him. "Ah, now there's someone I want you to meet."

He gestured towards a man around his own age, walking towards them. Yukito appraised the man, and saw that he was just a student. He was wearing a blue blazer, and he had a scarf around his neck.

When the man reached them, he spoke to Alan first, who stood up to acknowledge him.

"So Alan, is this the guy you wanted me to meet?" said the man.

"Yes, he is. Now, why don't you introduce yourself to him? I'm sure the two of you will be really helpful to each other in solving your problems."

"Alright, I will then."

He turned to Yukito and said,

"According to Alan, we have the same problems. I'm close to losing someone I really love to supernatural causes," said the man.

"Correction: I've already lost her," said Yukito angrily as he stood up.

"Well, if Alan is to be believed, that can be remedied if we help each other out. Anyway, on to the introductions," said the man.

"'I'll go first. My name is Yukito Kunisaki," said Yukito.

"I'm glad I could find someone who's in the same boat as I am. I look forward to working with you in solving our problems."

"My name is Yuuichi Aizawa."

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_A/N: And so, the crossover begins. I'm not expecting any reviews this early into the story, so please just read on. If you're wondering why this did not begin from AIR's (the Kyo Ani version) anime ending, I decided to use one of the good endings from the visual novel as my start button, where Misuzu is cured of the curse after the last dream takes place instead of her dying.  
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	2. Winter: Snow's Requiem

_Disclaimer: AIR and Kanon are both properties of Key Visual Arts._

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**Winter: Snow's Requiem**

"My name is Yuuichi Aizawa."

Yukito just nodded, and he continued,

"A few days ago, I met Alan at the hospital. He told me that he could help me by bringing over someone who had already experienced what I'm about to, if we do not act."

Yukito then turned to Alan,

"Why should I help him again?"

"It's still too difficult to explain at this point in time, but trust me, helping Yuuichi will help you get Misuzu back," replied Alan.

"I think we should get acquainted with each other's situation first before we do anything. Do you have anywhere to stay right now?" asked Yuuichi. "Do you also have any food or important basic needs? Alan here told me that you came from somewhere far away."

"All I have with me are a few changes of clothes and a small doll, plus all of my money, which isn't much, by the way. And no, I don't have anywhere to stay," replied Yukito.

"Hmm… That can easily be remedied, if I'm not mistaken. Give me a minute," said Yuuichi as he pulled a cellphone from his pocket.

He dialed a number and began to talk into the phone.n

"Hello, Akiko-san? It's Yuuichi. I need to have a friend stay over with us. He said that he could help Ayu. Is that alright with you? It is? Great! Thank you so much, Akiko-san!" said Yuuichi as he dropped the call.

"Done," he said. "Yukito, now you have a place to stay. Let's go over there now, shall we?"

Yukito nodded, but then he pointed at Alan.

"What about him? Where does he stay?"

"Oh, don't worry about me you two; I'll just be here at the train station if you need to find me," said Alan. "I'll see you guys tomorrow then. Yukito, I suggest you get settled down first and get acquainted with Yuuichi. You two are in the same boat, so I suggest you cooperate with each other."

Alan left, and Yuuichi and Yukito were left standing by the snow-covered bench.

"D-damn it, it's so cold," grumbled Yukito. "And I don't even have any winter clothing."

"You idiot, how could you not have any winter clothing when it's in the middle of winter?" exclaimed Yuuichi.

"Before I arrived here, where I came from, it was only fall. I don't know how, but Alan used some special powers to get me here. I get the feeling that I'm really out of this world," said Yukito.

"Yeah, people will be thinking how weird it is for you not be wearing any winter clothing. Now come, let's go over to the place where I'm staying."

"Yeah. I think it's for the best that I get settled down first. Does your place have good food?"

"Oh yeah, we've got great food. Akiko-san makes wonderful food, but trust me, the best thing she makes is her jam. Once you've tasted it, you'll think that it's something from out of this world," commented Yuuichi, with a huge smile on his face.

Yuuichi began to walk and Yukito followed him, wondering how this man could fight the impossible and help him get Misuzu back.

* * *

"I'm home," called Yuuichi.

Yukito followed him into the house, and he observed the anteroom of the place. The house appeared to be smaller than what he originally imagined it to be, but at least it was better than sleeping out on the streets in this weather. With a pang, he remembered how he used to do that in Misuzu's town while he was trying to get to know Minagi and Michiru better.

We heard footsteps and then a woman with long blue hair appeared in front of us.

"Welcome back Yuuichi. Hello there," she said, gesturing at me. "My name is Akiko Minase. I look forward to having you stay here with us. When Yuuichi told us that you could help Ayu, we were so glad, and we feel privileged to have you over. What's your name?"

"Yukito. Yukito Kunisaki," answered Yukito. "It's a pleasure meeting you, Akiko-san."

"The same goes for me," she chuckled. "Where are your bags?"

Yukito thought that it was better to keep Akiko-san in the dark about how exactly he got here, and he knew that his minimal luggage was indicative of this in some way.

"This rucksack is the only luggage I have," said Yukito. "I've been a traveler ever since I was a child, so I'm used to bringing only this bag."

"Do you have clothes with you?" asked Akiko-san, with a worried look on her face.

"I do, but I only have three changes worth. It's okay I guess, I can just wash them or--"

"Absolutely not! You can't have only three changes of clothes while you're under my care. Yuuichi, go with Yukito-san to the shopping district and buy him some clothes. Here's some money," said Akiko-san, handing over a small wad of bills she had taken from her apron's pocket to Yuuichi.

"Okay then. Where's Nayuki, by the way?" asked Yuuichi.

"Oh, she still isn't back from track practice. She said that she needed to do better at practice, because ever since my accident, she hasn't been at her best performance."

"Isn't it a shame that she has track practice even during the winter break?" asked Yuuichi.

"I don't think so, because running is something that Nayuki really enjoys. If she loves it so much, then good for her if she practices everyday with her track teammates."

She looked at her watch and said,

"Oh, it's already six in the evening. I better get back to preparing our dinner for tonight. It'll be pork tonkatsu and some ebi fry."

Yuuichi nudged Yukito and whispered in his ear,

"You better ask for her ultimate jam now, before you lose the chance."

Yukito cleared his throat.

"A-Akiko-san, thank you for your hospitality! Yuuichi told me that you make wonderful jam. Can I have some later during dinner time?"

"Some of my jam? Of course, no problem Yukito-san. I appreciate anyone who's heard about my cooking," said Akiko-san. "You two better get going now, I'll still finish up with our dinner. Yukito-san, I'll show you your room later."

And with that, she turned her back on us and went towards the kitchen.

"Well Yukito, looks like we're off to the shopping district," said Yuuichi. "You seriously only have three changes of clothes in that rucksack?"

"Yeah, those are all I've got. I've also got a doll, and the keys to the place where I used to say. I can do some tricks with that doll too. Maybe if I'm not too lazy, I'll show them to you later. By the way, who is this Ayu that Akiko-san mentioned earlier?"

Yuuichi stiffened and replied in a monotone.

"I'll tell you about it later."

* * *

_It's been three years since I started to live with Akiko-san and Nayuki. When I first arrived here three years ago, I had been away from here for the past seven years. I had forgotten so many things about when I used to come here every summer, because of one event that I had deigned to erase from my memory._

_I didn't even remember that some of the people I had met were my childhood friends, until we got closer to each other, after which something bad would happen to them._

_The first person I remembered was Makoto Sawatari. When I was younger, Akiko-san used to have a neighbor with that name. She was much older than me, but I adored her, because she was pretty and she was a good person. There was one day that I was playing on Monomi Hill, when I found an injured fox. One of its legs seemed to be sprained, so I decided to take it home and care for it until it got better. All this, I kept from Akiko-san, because I didn't think she would allow me to keep a fox in her house._

_On the second day that I came back here three years ago, I met a girl with long chestnut hair, who said that she had a grudge against me. She said that she had amnesia, and out of mercy, Akiko-san, Nayuki, and I decided to take her into the house. When she said that she remembered her name, and that it was Makoto Sawatari, I didn't feel any surprise, because I had forgotten all about that girl that I used to adore._

_I only remembered that piece of information when Makoto, our Makoto, fell deeply ill. One girl at school, Mishio Amano, said that Makoto was one of the foxes who lived at Monomi Hill. Legend has it that the foxes there had the ability to shapeshift into humans, and that would be an act that consumed the fox's life force._

_Apparently, that was what was happening to Makoto. It all clicked when I remembered that only two beings could know about me idolizing the real Makoto: me and the fox that I took care of so long ago._

_Makoto's life force was slowly dwindling, and only her affection for me was keeping her in a human form. However, she had already lost her ability to speak, and most of her motor skills that required dexterity were gone too._

_On the day she disappeared, we went to Monomi Hill, just the two of us, so that we could get "married." She told me in her sleep on the last day that she could still speak that she wanted "to get married to Yuuichi."_

_We had a small ceremony, just the two of us, and shortly afterwards, she disappeared in my arms. Makoto had given up her life and her memory just to be with me for a short while, and I would never forget her._

"Oi, Yuuichi, you're awfully quiet, aren't you?" said Yukito."Shouldn't you be showing me around? We're already at the shopping district."

Yuuichi had been quiet until then, but he snapped out of his reverie.

"Ah, I'm sorry Yukito. I know of a supermarket with a department store inside. Nayuki and I go there often when we would buy things for Akiko-san," muttered Yuuichi, a wry smile forming on his face when he remembered all those times that he promised Nayuki that he would stay in one place. When some odd event would cause him to leave, he would suddenly remember his promise and he would rush back to where he was supposed to be staying. Nayuki would be there, and then she would say in a small voice,

"_You liar."_

The two of them proceeded to the supermarket to purchase clothing for Yukito. An hour later, they were on their way home with their purchases, when Yuuichi broke the silence.

"Hey Yukito, over the next few days, I'm going to be telling you a lot of stories."

"Stories like what?"

"Stories about girls that I encountered in this town."

"And why should I care about your playboy experiences?" said Yukito coolly.

"Because once you've listened to all of my stories, you will see how your presence here will affect Ayu, the person that I want you to help."

Yukito just nodded and thought that he should just trust in what Alan told him. If he helped Yuuichi and this Ayu person, somehow, it would help him get Misuzu back.

They arrived at the Minase household, and Akiko-san was there to greet them.

"Welcome back Yuuichi, Yukito-san. Did you get enough clothes?" she asked.

Yukito nodded, and she continued.

"Yukito-san, I'd like you to meet my daughter Nayuki."

She gestured towards the dining room, and a girl around Yuuichi's age appeared. She looked almost exactly like a younger version of Akiko-san. The girl then spoke,

"Hello, I'm Yuuichi's cousin, Nayuki Minase. Nice to meet you."

She bowed, and Yukito replied,

"Nice to meet you too, I'm Yukito Kunisaki. I'll be in you and your mother's care, so please take care of me while I'm staying here."

"Of course we will. You're going to be able to help Ayu-chan, so it's an honor having you stay with us," said Nayuki.

_What is it with this Ayu and me anyway?_

"Yukito-san, please put your bags down. Dinner is ready," said Akiko-san.

* * *

Dinner was a small affair, and Yukito seemed to be loosening up a bit in the household he would be staying at for god knows how long.

When dessert came, Yukito asked for the ultimate jam that Yuuichi had mentioned earlier to him. When it was already served and on the bread, Yukito took a bite from the bread, apparently not noticing the smirk on Yuuichi's face and the horrified look on Nayuki's.

"Itadakimasu!"

Yukito suddenly felt his stomach churn, and he stood up.

"Excuse me for a second, I need to go to the bathroom."

Yukito Kunisaki then threw up in the bathroom, making sure that Akiko-san couldn't hear any retching sounds.

Later that night, Yukito had already placed his things in the guest room that Akiko-san had cleaned up for him, when Yuuichi beckoned him to enter his room.

The first thing Yukito noticed when he entered Yuuichi's room was a pink cat-themed alarm clock on the bedside table.

"What's with that girly alarm clock anyway?" said Yukito.

Yuuichi then turned extremely red and said,

"I just borrowed that from Nayuki. She's got tons of alarm clocks, and she gave me one of hers to use."

"Why on earth would someone need tons of alarm clocks?"

"Oh, you'll see."

"Hey, what the hell was with Akiko-san's jam earlier? You bastard, you tricked me," Yukito angrily said.

"It's kind of like a ritual over here. When someone new stays over, they absolutely must try Akiko-san's ultimate jam," replied Yuuichi.

"And has any of them died?" asked Yukito.

Yuuichi's expression softened and said in a somber voice,

"One of them is close to dying right now."

"It's that Ayu, isn't it? She used to live here with you?" asked Yukito.

"Yeah. Let me tell you everything that you need to know so that we can help her recover," said Yuuichi.

"Everything started three years ago, when I first came back here after a long seven year absence…"

* * *

_A/N: I'm sorry to end the chapter on a cliffhanger, but it's exposition time, and it'll make the chapter too long. Read and review please!_


	3. Winter: The Events of Three Years Ago

_Disclaimer: AIR and Kanon are properties of Key Visual Arts_

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**Winter: The Events of Three Years Ago**

"Everything started three years ago, when I first came back here after a seven year absence," began Yuuichi.

"So what, you were a regular visitor here back then?" asked Yukito.

"Yeah. Every winter break, my mom and dad would leave me here with Akiko-san and Nayuki to spend the holidays with them. Anyway, I came back here three years ago, not having gone back at all for the past seven years."

"You already said that," commented Yukito.

"Yeah, sorry, it's just so I can get some flow into the storytelling. So on the first day I arrived, Nayuki and I went shopping for Akiko-san. We were about to enter the department store where we bought your clothing on that day."

* * *

"_I have to buy food for dinner," said Nayuki._

"_I'll wait out here," I replied. "I think I'll get lost if I go inside."_

"_You'll be all right with me."_

"_I'm worried because I'd be with you."_

"_Then stay here. Don't go off on your own," said Nayuki._

"_Don't worry; I'll stay put here," I said reassuringly._

_She made to enter the department store, but she stopped at the door. I raised my eyebrows and she said,_

"_I remember having the same conversation long ago."_

"_Whatever, just get going already," I grumbled._

_She smiled and then she entered the store. I thought about how I probably saw everything, this entire town, the shopping district, seven years ago. Did I really look upon these places that long ago?_

"_Hey you!" called a voice behind me._

_I turned and saw a girl with chestnut hair running towards me._

"_Move! Move! MOVE!!" she shouted as she ran right towards me. "Uguu~ Move!"_

_I didn't move and, yeah, she totally collided with me._

"_Uguu~," she mumbled while clutching her face. "That hurt."_

"_Sorry. You were moving too fast, so I couldn't get out of the way," I replied._

"_I wasn't running that fast!"_

"_Oh don't be so modest," I retorted. "At the rate you were running, you could have outrun my cousin who's on the track team."_

"_Uguu~," she chirped. "We'll talk later."_

_She stood up and suddenly grabbed my arm, and she started to drag me along with her._

"_Huh? What? Hey!" I blurted out, as she dragged me by the arm._

_We entered a nearby tea shop and sat down at a table._

"_We should be all right if we've come this far," the girl said._

"'_All right?' I don't quite understand what's going on here."_

"_A man is chasing me. The man saw you with me, so you're in trouble too."_

_A waitress came, serving us water, and she asked us if she could take our order. The girl politely said that we'd order later, and she left._

_The girl glanced out of the window and she immediately facefaulted onto the desk upon spotting someone, presumably the man who was chasing her. I looked outside and saw a man with an apron on._

"_Is he the guy who's chasing you?"_

"_Yup."_

_I noticed that she was carrying a brown paper bag with her, and I said,_

"_Could it be possibly related to the paper bag you're holding?"_

"_N-no, that's not the case!" she denied immediately._

_The man was middle-aged, and he appeared to be one of those vendors who were peddling their wares on the street._

"_He seems to be a generous guy. Why does he have an apron on?"_

"_You can't judge people by how they look," she answered hastily. "He… probably owns a taiyaki stand."_

_I would bet the contents of my wallet that the paper bag the girl was holding had some taiyaki inside it._

"_Why on earth would a man running a taiyaki shop come chasing after you?" I asked, with an edge of knowing in my voice._

"_It's because there's this taiyaki stand I love, and the taiyaki sold there was so delicious that I had to order a lot, but I realized that I had forgotten my wallet. I was wondering what I would have to do, when a cat came and jumped onto the man's stand and tried to take a taiyaki. The vendor yelled and made a really scary face and I was surprised that such a kind looking man could make such a scary face, so I… ran away."_

"_So I guess it's your fault then," I said._

"_Uguu~ I have my own reasons for running too," she replied._

"_Like what? Tell me about them."_

"_It'll take too long if I talk about it. Plus, it's complicated."_

"_Oh just say it," I said in a disdaining tone of voice._

"_Umm… It's because I'm…," she trailed off._

"_I'm?" I prompted._

_She stayed silent for a while and then she finally said,_

"_I'm hungry."_

"_That's it?" I asked, eyebrow raised._

"_Yup. That's all."_

_Five minutes later, I was dragging her across the street towards the taiyaki vendor's stand._

"_You know, no matter from what viewpoint you look at it, this entire thing was your fault," I said._

"_I'll pay him tomorrow, I promise!" she cried out._

"_But that's already too late! I'll pay for it today; just go say sorry for running away with the taiyaki."_

_We reached the vendor's shop and we, that is to say I, paid for the girl's taiyaki. We apologized, then we left the man's shop._

"_You'll get fat if you eat too much taiyaki,"I commented._

"_I don't care about getting fat."_

"_Then I'll be watching, so show me that you can finish all of that."_

"_Uguu~," she mumbled._

"_Uguu~," I said, mimicking her._

"_Uguu~! Don't copy me!" she replied indignantly._

"_It's become kind of like your catchphrase, you know."_

"_T-that's not true!" she exclaimed._

_I then noticed that she had wings on her back. _

"_Hey, what's with those wings on your back anyway?"_

"_What wings? Wings? On my back?" she said, as she began to turn around trying to look at her back._

_She continued for a few more revolutions, while the exasperation began to show on my face._

"_Uguu~ I can't see them!" she said out of frustration._

"_Just move your neck, it'll be enough," I suggested._

_She obliged, then a wide smile formed on her face._

"_Oh, I do have wings! Such cute wings!"_

"_I've been getting these vibes for a while now, but… You're a pretty weird girl," I pointed out._

"_Uguu~! That's not true!" she exclaimed._

_We walked over to where we first met and I said,_

"_We'll split up here. Make sure to pay me back for your taiyaki."_

"_Okay. My name's Ayu Tsukimiya. What's yours?"_

"_Yuuichi Aizawa," I replied._

_Her face lit up and realization seemed to dawn upon her. Did she know me seven years ago?_

"_Yuuichi-kun?"_

"_What's wrong?"_

"_Oh it's nothing," she said, waving her hands as she said so. "It'll be nice if we meet again."_

"_Really?"_

"_Of course it will!" she exclaimed. "If you're going to doubt that, you're not going to get paid."_

"_I'm just kidding," I chuckled._

"_Then we'll see each other again," said Ayu happily. "It's a promise. Well then, bye!"_

_She waved goodbye and she ran off. Promise, huh… Oh shi~_

_I had totally forgotten about my promise to Nayuki. I ran back as fast as I could towards the department store. When I arrived, panting, I saw Nayuki with the groceries, sitting quietly on the bench in front of the store's entrance._

"_Yo," I said tentatively._

"_You liar," she replied, turning away from me._

_

* * *

_

"So that's how I met Ayu," Yuuichi said.

"And how does this tie in with her condition right now? What's her exact condition anyway?" asked Yukito.

"It's kind of a long and complicated story. That's why I'm telling you all of this in the order that I realized it all. When I had come back here three years ago, I remembered next to nothing about the time I had spent here in this town. Perplexing, isn't it?"

"I guess, it's kind of impossible to forget such things. But why did you?" asked Yukito.

"I'll tell you in due course. For now, let's call it a night," quipped Yuuichi.

Yukito nodded and left Yuuichi's room. He proceeded towards the guest room that Akiko-san had prepared for him. We had already taken our respective baths hours ago, and it was time to call it a night. As Yukito lay in bed, he remembered a miniscule detail that Yuuichi had mentioned as he told his story earlier.

"_Hey, what's with those wings on your back anyway?"_

Yuuichi did say that she had wings on her back. _Wings huh… Why are those wings making me very suspicious…_

And those were Yukito's last thoughts as he fell asleep.

* * *

"_Yukito. Yukito," called out a motherly voice._

_I recognized that voice. She was the voice that told me how I could save Misuzu. I opened my eyes and sat up. I saw that I was in a cherry grove, and a green haired woman in a kimono was sitting across me. Beside him sat what appeared to be a samurai._

"_Ah, so you're awake?" she said._

"_Awake? How can I possibly be awake? I'm probably dreaming right now, since samurai don't exist anymore," I replied._

"_Oh, don't be so sure of that," the man said. "From where you reside as of the present, there resides a female warrior with the devotion and skills of a samurai. She has powers that can create miracles, and she has recovered from her unstable childhood. Soon, you will meet her, and she will be vital to you in bringing back Kanna."_

"_Who's Kanna? And who are you two anyway?" I asked, perplexed._

"_My name is Ryuya," said the man._

"_And mine, Uraha," said the woman. "We are your distant ancestors."_

_Wait… WHAT!?_

"_You, Yukito Kunisaki, are our descendant, who will finally be able to rescue Kanna from the curse that those accursed monks placed on her so long ago," said Ryuya._

"_As proof that we are your ancestors, please observe what I am about to show you," said Uraha._

_She took a small doll from her pocket, similar to my own. She placed it on the grass, and the doll suddenly began to move of its own accord._

_Realization dawned on me, and I blurted out,_

"_Y-you… I inherited these powers from the two of you?"_

"_That's true, Yukito. When we both failed to save Kanna, we decided to let our descendants try through the years to save her as well."_

"_Who is this Kanna anyway?"_

"_Kanna. Kannabi no Mikoto was one of the last winged ones, who were said to be servants of the gods themselves. The winged ones were said to have immense power, so the daimyos of our time deigned to capture Kanna to utilize her powers as a weapon of war. We decided to run away to keep her safe, but one night, after meeting her mother, who was herself a winged being that was unwillingly thrusted into the daimyo wars of the Tokugawa period, she decided to leave the two of us, so that we could be safe. She was our closest friend, but she said that her being with us was a danger to our very lives. She revealed her wings to us, wings that were like an angel's, and she flew off into the night. Unfortunately, the monks who had been hunting her down were able to get the samurai to shoot her down. The monks were then able to cast a curse on Kanna, a curse that caused her to repeatedly reincarnate every time she died, and when she found true friendship and love, she would enter stages of catatonic dreaming. After the last dream, she would die and reincarnate again," said Ryuya._

_My heart nearly stopped. Those were similar to the symptoms that Misuzu underwent._

"_So that means," I trailed off into silence, realization dawning upon me._

"_Yes, Yukito. Misuzu is one such reincarnation of Kanna. You were able to save her after the last dream happened, but for reasons unknown, she still perished a year after you saved her. Even we do not know why, and we fear outside interference," said Uraha worriedly._

"_Outside interference from who?" I asked tentatively._

"_We have magical powers, but our powers sense something… Artificial. Something artificial is interfering with the magic that you used to save Misuzu. Something artificial that was even more dangerous than the curse that the monks placed upon Kanna. At this point, we do not know what it is, but please be aware and careful."_

"_Don't worry, I will. I won't fail you now. Thank you for letting me understand," I said._

_Then I remembered that small detail that Yuuichi mentioned to me earlier._

"_Umm… Was Kanna _the_ last winged one?"_

"_As far as I know, no. There were other winged ones who were killed because of the feudal wars, but there was also at least one other winged one who had a similar curse placed upon her. This was in another part of Japan though, an area where it snowed more often, so it seemed," replied Ryuya. "Why do you ask?"_

"_Because I may have encountered another descendant of the winged ones, but I do not know her current condition. When the time comes, I may need to ask you about her. How will I contact you again?" I asked._

"_Just think about us Yukito-san, before you go to sleep, and we will come to your dreams. A certain legendary artifact is the vessel of our souls, as we are Heroic Spirits that transcend time. The fate of our mission that has spanned hundreds of generations is firmly resting on your shoulders," said Uraha._

"_Do not fail us."_

"_I will not," I replied. "Please be there when I need you both."_

"_We'll make sure that we're there," said Ryuya. "There is only one event that could possibly stop us from helping you, but the likelihood of it happening is minimal."_

"_After all, there is only one Servant left for the Fifth Heaven's Feel, so in the event that one of us is summoned, the other will be able to help Yukito-san," said Uraha to Ryuya._

"_The chance of me being summoned is high though. Someone apparently has gotten hold of a chip from the katana I used all those years," said Ryuya. "I have to think of a fake name though. I think Kojirou Sasaki will do."_

"_What a wonderful name, Ryuya-dono," exclaimed Uraha happily._

_I was perplexed by what they were talking about, and I just scratched my forehead._

"_Umm, so if there's nothing more, I'll hopefully see you both as soon as I figure things out here."_

"_Yes. Until then, Yukito-san," said Uraha._

_I drifted back to dreamless sleep, with one thing on my mind:_

_Could Ayu Tsukimiya possibly be another descendant of the winged ones?_

_

* * *

_

_A/N: So more exposition has been laid out. I was happy that I was able to get that Fate/stay night reference in though. :D Read and review please!_


	4. Winter: The Kitsune and the Healer

_Disclaimer: AIR and Kanon are properties of Key Visual Arts. No infringement is intended by this work of fanfiction._

_

* * *

_

**Winter: The Kitsune and the Healer**

Morning came, and Yukito felt enlightened about the dream he had during the previous night. If Alan was to be trusted, and Yukito felt that he could be trusted, then helping Ayu would be the logical first step in getting Misuzu back. He didn't know _how_ exactly though, so he decided to place his trust in Alan. Besides, he couldn't do anything else anyway. Now that he had learned about the mission he was on, if Ayu was indeed, a descendant of the winged ones, then he would be obliged by his ancestors to help her out. The problem was that he didn't know what Ayu's condition was at this time.

Thus, when Yukito was performing his morning ablutions, when Yuuichi barged in the bathroom without knocking by mistake, Yukito decided to confront him.

"Yuuichi. I need to know what exactly Ayu's condition is in, so that I'll have a general idea about the situation."

"I'll take you to the hospital today, so you'll see her with your own eyes. But we let'have an appointment with Alan today. He'll tell us more things that we may need to know. _If_ there is information that is currently useful anyway," snorted Yuuichi.

Apparently, Yuuichi didn't see how Yukito would be able to help Ayu out. It was a good thing for the two of them that Alan brought them together. Alone, they were helpless. Together, they had a shot at solving their respective problems.

"Yuuichi! Yukito-san! Breakfast is ready!" called Akiko-san from the dining room.

The two of them proceeded downstairs; Yukito in particular was ravenous, his body having been purged of any remnants of nutrition thanks to Akiko-san's ultimate jam.

"Hey Yuuichi, how come a cook as wonderful as Akiko-san can make such… unique jam?"

"Beats me. Best we not bring it up if we want anything to remain in our stomachs," replied Yuuichi as they both went downstairs.

When they arrived downstairs, they saw Akiko-san serving the morning's breakfast. They were having bacon, eggs, and toast, American style. Yuuichi raised an eyebrow and vaguely wondered when exactly they got bacon. As if Akiko-san read his mind, she said,

"I bought some bacon yesterday while you all were taking a bath and resting. I thought that you guys would like an American breakfast every now and then."

Seated at the table was Nayuki, who was incredibly still sleeping while she sat holding her knife and fork, her feeble attempts to slice the bacon failing badly. Yukito noticed this and said,

"How the hell is she able to even try to slice the bacon while she's asleep?"

"It's her special talent. I wouldn't be surprised if she sleepwalks to her track team's practice. She almost sleepwalked to school once," replied Yuuichi. "She really just isn't a morning person, that's all."

The two of them and Akiko-san sat down at the table.

"Itadakimasu!" they said in unison.

"Itaaaa… dakiiii… masu…" said Nayuki, yawning loudly.

"Oi, Nayuki, wake up. It's rude to sleep at the dining table," scolded Yuuichi.

She didn't budge, and Yuuichi pinched Nayuki's nose. She seemed to suddenly snap out of her reverie, and she said,

"Good morning everyone."

Yukito and Yuuichi both facefaulted simultaneously, while Akiko-san chuckled at the sight.

"Just try not to sleep at the table!" exclaimed Yuuichi. "You've still got practice later; you can't be sleeping on the way there."

"That's some talent you got there," quipped Yukito. "Oh, Akiko-san, thank you for the clothing."

"It's no problem, Yukito-san," said Akiko-san.

Nayuki just raised her eyebrows and she began to eat her breakfast. The others followed suit. After a while, they were full, and Nayuki excused herself from the table so that she could help her mother clean up the place, and so she could get dressed for her track practice. The two men decided to tell Akiko-san that they'd be both going out, as they were scheduled to meet Alan at ten in the morning. It was already nine thirty when they left the Minase household.

"Does she really have track practice even in this weather? Even during winter break?" asked Yukito as they walked towards the shopping district.

"Yeah, but at least they have it indoors," replied Yuuichi. "We'll be meeting Alan by the department store where we bought your stuff yesterday. It's half an hour until ten, so let's take our time and let me tell you another story. If you're wondering why I'm doing this, it's because Alan told me to."

"And do you know exactly why this would help?"

"Not really, but he said that eventually, the two of us will understand. Anyway, there's this other girl I met, a girl with supernatural powers to, as she first told me, to 'slay demons.'"

* * *

_Mai Kawasumi. A silent girl who I met one night when I had left Nayuki's notebook in our classroom. I went back to school to get the notebook, and when I reached our classroom's corridor, there she was, standing by the windowsill, looking outdoors. What surprised me the most was that she was holding a thin bladed sword in her right hand. It appeared to be a rapier, but I wasn't so sure, as my knowledge of swords was, to say the least, extremely minimal._

_Without warning, she ran towards me, the sword out of its scabbard. I dodged out of her way, and I heard the blade of the sword slash through the air._

"_Hey, wait. What was that all about?" I called._

_She ignored me and she resumed walking. I had to find out what the hell was going on here._

"_I said wait!" I shouted._

_She stopped and turned in my direction._

"_I am a demon hunter."_

_And she left without another word. After school the next day, I unconsciously passed by the same corridor and saw her standing there, staring out the windows like the previous night._

"_Yo. We met here last night right? Mind telling me what you're doing with that dangerous thing? What's a demon?"_

_No response._

"_Could you at least answer one question? A yes or no will do."_

"_Yes," she replied._

_I didn't think she'd really say it, but she said yes just for the hell of saying it._

"_Mai! I'm sorry!" called out a voice._

_A girl approached us. Apparently, she was Sayuri Kurata, Mai's best friend. Nayuki bumped into them both the other day, and that was how I learned what their names were._

"_Oh? Hello. Were you speaking with Mai?"_

"_Yes. We were just chatting," I replied._

"_Talking with Mai? Hmm… Would you like to join us for lunch?" asked Sayuri._

"_Eh?" I managed._

_The next thing I knew, we were at the stairwell where I found a picnic blanket the other day. Ah, so it's these two who eat here._

_Ever since that day, I always ate lunch with both Mai and Sayuri. I discovered that Sayuri didn't know anything about Mai's nighttime activities. One day, Sayuri told me that Mai got called to the Student Council room._

"_Mai has a history of breaking windows here in the school," said Sayuri. "She would never tell me why whenever I asked. It started way back in freshman year. Ever since then, whenever something similar happened, the teachers would always suspect Mai. But this time, I think that she's innocent."_

_Mai then came out of the office._

"_Mai, what happened?" asked Sayuri._

"_I got yelled at," she said, deadpan. "Nothing else."_

_We had lunch that day, and it got me thinking on how I could repair Mai's PR with the rest of the school. Then later that day, Nayuki pointed out to me a poster for the school's dance festival, and I thought that I should take Mai along with me. That night, I went back to the school and found Mai at the same place as before._

"_Can't you tell me about it now? Why are you fighting alone?"_

"_I don't think you would believe me if I told you," she replied tonelessly._

"_Sayuri would," I pointed out._

"_I don't want her to worry needlessly about me."_

_She told me about the demons, that they were after her and that she had to kill them so that the school wouldn't suffer any more damage from them._

"_Why are the demons after you?"_

"_I don't know," she replied._

"_Will you find out after killing them?"_

"_Maybe. What about her?" she asked._

_Her? Oh right, I told her about Makoto some time ago, and Makoto followed me to school at this time once._

"_You may not believe me, but then again, you probably would… Makoto… She's actually a fox I had taken care of seven years ago. I found the fox on Monomi Hill, injured. So I took her home with me and cared for her while hiding her from the rest of the people at the house. On the day I left this city seven years ago, I released her into the wild. When I first came back to this city some time ago, I met her. She told me that she had a grudge against me, but she didn't remember anything else aside from that, with the exception of her name. She moved in with us, but shortly after that, she fell ill. Then I met a girl at this school, Mishio Amano. She told me about the truth behind Makoto's illness; that she was a fox who induced a miracle by giving up her memories so that she could shapeshift into a human. Her illness was actually her dwindling life force. It took most of her life force to sustain her human body, and her motor and communication skills suffered. But, her affection for me was such that she fought the illness with all her might, until a few days ago. I honored her last wish, that she wanted to get married to me. We went to the top of Monomi Hill, and we promised that we'd stay with each other forever. That same day, she left me. She disappeared, her vitality all gone. I don't know if she's dead or if she turned back into a fox, but regardless, I regret losing her."_

_I nearly broke down, when I heard Mai say something._

"_I see. I think that you'll see her again soon."_

_I did a double take at that, but otherwise, I didn't show any other signs of hope._

"_Mai, don't forget, we're going to the dance festival in a few days. Don't forget to borrow the dress from Sayuri, all right?"_

"_Understood."_

_However, things did not go as smoothly as I planned them. During the dance festival, demons attacked the place, and Sayuri was injured. Mai fought the demons with her sword, but of course, only the two of us knew anything about the demons to begin with. As a result, she was interrogated by the Student Council on the next day. The Student Council President had been showing signs of actively wanting to have her expelled, and I stepped into the matter, showing up at the Student Council room._

"_Who are you? Regular students aren't allowed in here," snapped the President._

"_Kawasumi-san's antics last night were all a sideshow," I invented wildly. "She demonstrated her sword dance for the entertainment of the guests last night. She went a little overboard, but I assure you, she did not mean any harm. She wouldn't hurt her best friend Sayuri-san," I said, pointing at Sayuri who was standing beside me._

"_I never saw that on the program," the President retorted. "None of the committee members here remember being informed about a sword dance being on the program."_

_The Student Council President had a smug look on his face, when the unlikeliest of people saved our asses._

"_Sorry about that! I knew," said a voice._

_Into the room stepped Kitagawa._

"_As the person in charge, I asked Kawasumi-san to do it. It was my fault that it wasn't printed on the program."_

_The President was taken aback, and both Sayuri and I calmly left the room. Kitagawa followed, and we thanked him for his help._

_Later that day, I decided to practice kendo, so that I could help Mai eradicate the demons from the school. Mai saw me in the courtyard and she told me that she would train me._

_Rather, she ended up kicking my ass. But at least it was a start. That night, I went over to school again, and some demons showed up. After repelling them, Mai startled me with something that she said._

"_You."_

"_Pardon?" I asked, nonplussed._

"_The demons aren't after me. They're after you."_

_Tragedy struck on Mai's birthday, which was a few days after she revealed that the demons were after me. Sayuri went to school late at night, to give Mai the present that we had both purchased for her. It was bad luck that Sayuri and I missed each other, as we were planning to meet so that we could give Mai he gift, I left ten minutes earlier, and as a result, Sayuri went to the school alone._

_When I found her, I was too late. She was bloody, sprawled onto the bathroom floor._

"_Sayuri!" I called out of desperation._

_I heard loud footsteps behind me, and when I turned, I saw Mai running as fast as she could. When she saw what had happened to Sayuri, she was, in a word, shocked. She suddenly crumpled onto the floor and she began to cry. I called the hospital and an ambulance took the three of us there._

_It turned out that Sayuri would be fine if she stayed in the hospital for a while. When Mai and I left, she was in so much despair that she tried to kill herself with the sword. Thankfully, I was able to stop her by telling her, her crying face in my hands,_

"_What would happen after hurting yourself!? You'll only lose everything! Do you want to lose all the memories that Sayuri-san and I made with you? Do you want to lose us? Do you want us to lose you!?"_

"_N-no, I don't want to lose them," she mumbled, tears streaming down her face._

_I hugged her for a while until she calmed down. When she did, I said,_

"_Mai. Let's finish this tonight, so that no one else would get hurt."_

_We went back to the school and defeated the demons that were there. Then we rested in the classroom, and she said that she was hungry. I went out and bought beef bowls for us, but when I came back…_

"_Mai, I'm back!"_

_No answer. She was gone from the classroom we were resting in minutes ago. I put two and two together._

"_Dammit! She lied to get me out of here. That means there's still one more demon!"_

_I dropped the food I had bought and I raced out into the hallway. I ran headlong into an invisible force, and I fell onto the ground. I felt like I had been punched in the gut, and I doubled over in pain._

"_You're the demon aren't you?" I coughed out. "What do you want? Why are you troubling us? Tell me!"_

_And then something strange happened. The next thing I knew, I was in a cornfield. I saw two children playing, a girl and a boy. The girl had a pair of bunny ears on while they were running around the field._

_Then I was in the hospital I was just in an hour ago. I saw the little girl at the bedside of her sick mother. The doctors were all saying that the mother would die. I got a closer look at the girl and saw that it was a younger Mai Kawasumi. She didn't care; she just held onto her mother's hand._

"_Please… Don't let Mommy die," she tearfully said._

_To everyone's surprise, her mother, who was about to flatline on the ECG, had a heartbeat reading. It began to fluctuate, then it stabilized. She opened her eyes and saw her own daughter at what would have been her deathbed._

_Next, I found myself on the set of a variety show. The host was pointing to an injured bird in a box. Out came Mai, and she was told to hold the bird. Mai obliged and cried while doing it. To everyone's surprise, the bird, whose left wing was broken, suddenly flew out of her hand._

_I saw Mai had become shunned by society due to her healing powers. Their house being pelted by stones and vandalized by those who were afraid of her. I saw them on a train, moving away from their town._

"_He'll be here soon," said a voice._

"_Who?" asked Mai._

"_Someone who will accept you for who you are, regardless of your powers," replied the voice._

_I didn't know who the voice was, and when I gazed upon the scene, I saw Mai lying down in the same cornfield I saw earlier._

"_He won't be scared of me?"_

"_No, he won't be scared, because he's a strong boy."_

_At that precise moment, a boy ran across the field towards her direction. He nearly tripped over Mai, and when I saw the boy's face, I was shocked._

_I saw a younger Yuuichi Aizawa._

"_Hey, did you come to play?" asked Mai._

"_No, I'm lost," said my younger self. "Hey, let's play hide and seek!"_

_The two children began to play, and I heard myself call out,_

"_Mai, you're so small, I can't see you!"_

_The scene shifted, and I saw the two of them playing hide and seek again. However, I saw Mai had a pair of bunny ears on her head._

"_A handicap. So I'll be able to tag you," said my younger self._

_Another shift and Mai was talking to me, showing my younger self a dead flower. In no time at all, the dead flower was alive again._

"_Wow, that's cool!" said my younger self._

"_Because of this power, Mommy and I couldn't stay in the town we used to live in."_

"_But wasn't it because of that that you were able to heal your mother? I'm sure you'll like that power someday."_

_The scene changed, and Mai was on the phone screaming loudly,_

"_They're coming to destroy the place where we play. I can't protect it alone. I need you!"_

_Suddenly, time seemed to go faster. The cornfield was gone, it was now replaced by structures being built. Mai was in a sailor uniform now, looking at the structures being built._

"_I'll protect it alone. Come back someday, Yuuichi."_

_And as suddenly as these scenes unfolded in my head, I was back in the hallway. How could I have forgotten that I met Mai when I was younger… I went back to the classroom, and found Mai there._

"_Get out, Yuuichi. I'm injured, so I can't protect you," she said._

"_Mai, there are no demons. Those were your healing powers, manifesting themselves physically. That's exactly why you got hurt everytime you struck one of them down. You were attacking a part of you. When you were little, you lied to me that demons were coming to destroy the field where we played in. When I didn't come back for seven years, you tried to believe in the lie that you told me," I rattled off._

"_You ran away from me because you were scared of me," she simply replied._

"_Idiot! I had to go home because summer vacation ended. I came back to the field the next year, but I couldn't find you. Enough of this. Starting today, you'll be like the Mai you once were. Accept your powers, and this battle will end. That's what the demons, or rather, your powers wanted to tell me. Smile like you used to, Mai."_

"_I'll become weak if I let go of this sword. So…"_

_And to my complete and utter surprise, she inverted the sword and ran it through herself. I rushed over to her as she crumpled on the floor._

"_Mai! Mai! Don't die on me!"_

"_Yuuichi. Thanks for coming," said a voice._

_I looked up and saw the younger Mai. The manifestation of her powers._

"_I'm sorry I'm late," I said, tears streaming down my face onto Mai's (the one in my arms) body._

"_It's fine. Better late than never. You won't leave me this time?"_

"_Yeah, since we're friends," I replied. "I won't be afraid of you. Don't worry."_

_I stared down at Mai's body and I noticed that the stab wound that was bleeding profusely until a moment ago was totally gone._

"_I think she can accept me now," said the younger Mai, gesturing at her older body._

"_I'm a manifestation of her powers, but please call me 'Hope'," she said, as she disappeared._

_Mai began to stir in my arms, and I said,_

"_Wake up Mai. Your long dream is over."_

_She rubbed her eyes and said,_

"_I'm glad."_

_

* * *

_

"That was a pretty long story. So why haven't you asked Mai to heal Ayu yet?" asked Yukito.

The two of them were already at the meeting place. It was five minutes to ten in the morning, and Alan hadn't arrived yet.

"We already tried, but something was blocking her powers from achieving their full potential on Ayu. Alan said that you would be able to help," said Yuuichi.

_Indeed, I could be able to help, if Uraha and Ryuya were right. I have to confirm first though, if she's really descended from the winged ones_.

"Hey guys, thanks for coming," said a voice from the department store entrance.

It was Alan.

"So we're here, now what do we do today?" asked Yukito.

"Just a second Yukito. Yuuichi, someone's here to meet you. She said she could help Ayu as well," said Alan.

"Huh? Who?" asked Yuuichi, evidently confused. "I thought Yukito was the one who could help me?"

"I'll explain later, she's already excited to meet you," replied Alan.

"Hey Alan, you said I could meet him! Where is he anyway? Auu~," said a voice from behind Alan. "Oh there he is!"

The owner of that voice suddenly stepped from behind Alan. An orange haired girl with pigtails appeared. She was wearing a denim jacket, and snow boots.

Yuuichi's jaw dropped in shock.

"N-No… It can't be… I thought I had lost you…"

"Aww Yuuichi, come on! Didn't we promise each other we'd be together? For better or for worse?" said the girl as she leaped at Yuuichi.

Yukito watched as the two hugged each other for a minute, and then they broke apart.

"Hey Yuuichi, who's that?" asked Yukito.

"You idiot, weren't you paying attention earlier? This is Makoto. Makoto Sawatari. I don't know how, but she's alive," said Yuuichi, tears streaming down his face.

* * *

_A/N: Phew, long chapter. Please continue to read and review. I finally got one, thanks! :D_


	5. Winter: Of Failure and Hope

_Disclaimers: I do not own any of the characters featured in this fic. Except the OC, but even he was based on a doujin visual novel out there. Cookies for those who can guess what VN._

**Winter: Of Failure and Hope**

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"Makoto… I can't believe you're alive!" exclaimed Yuuichi, wiping his tears with his free arm while he hugged Makoto. "But how?"

"Mai saved me," said Makoto simply.

"How did she do that?" Yuuichi asked.

"Mai used her healing powers to boost Makoto's life force," said Alan. "As you already know Yuuichi, for Makoto to maintain her human form, she needed to consume part of her life force while invoking a miracle. I do believe one of your schoolmates told you that."

"That's right. I'm glad you're back, Makoto. We missed you a lot. I'm sure Akiko-san and Nayuki are going to be overjoyed when they find out," said Yuuichi.

"Wait Yuuichi. We have something important to do first," said Makoto. "I was called in by Alan and Mai to help you fix your problem right now."

Realization dawned on Yuuichi's face. The last time Mai tried to heal Ayu, nothing happened. They attributed it to lack of power on Mai's part.

"So you're going to help us wake Ayu up? But how can you possibly help?"

"Yuuichi, Makoto has another power that you didn't know about. In fact, none of us here knew about it to begin with, until Makoto discovered it herself one day," said Alan.

Yuuichi turned to Makoto, excitement clearly showing on his face.

"Care to explain, Makoto?"

"For you to understand things properly, I have to summarize what happened to me since I left you three years ago," said Makoto.

"Go ahead. We're interested to hear what you've been doing since then," said Yuuichi.

"Well, here goes," said Makoto. "Ahem…"

"When I left you three years ago, I didn't die, even though I thought that I would. In fact, I _should_ have died. My life force was slowly decreasing, and I didn't know what else would possibly happen to me aside from dying. To my surprise however, when I left you, I realized I had simply turned back into a fox. However, unlike my other kin, when I reverted to a fox, I retained memories of my human life with you, Yuuichi. I wanted to turn back into a human, but my life force was too weak to support the transformation. If I had done it then, I would have died. I waited for two years before trying again. I conditioned myself in manipulating my life force and energy, using simple mental exercises to help myself along. Imagine my surprise one day when I found out that after two years, when I had finally mastered the conditioning exercises, my life force had seemingly increased. But that wasn't the end of it, because shortly after, I realized that I could transfer part of my life force into other living beings, revitalizing them," said Makoto.

"T-that's similar to Mai's power, right?" asked Yuuichi.

"Well, Alan told me about that, and I think our powers are similar. A few days ago, I met him at Monomi hill. He was just standing there, thinking about how he would be able to help a certain guy with his problem. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the certain guy was you. By that time, I had enough energy to channel some of my life force into the shapeshifting process. I shapeshifted into a human and talked to him, asking him what was Yuuichi's problem. He told me everything, about Ayu-chan, and I decided that I would help to repay you for all the care you showed me, even years ago, when you were a little boy," said Makoto.

"I see. So you'll help us then? How exactly can you do that?"

"I can amplify Mai's healing powers by invoking a miracle. That is the power of my kin who live up there in Monomi Hill."

"So do we get Mai now so we can attempt to cure Ayu again?" asked Yuuichi.

"Yeah, Yuuichi. Oh Yukito, you're going to be needed here. Do what you think you have to do to help Ayu out," said Alan.

"Understood," replied Yukito.

He was still obviously considering the possibility of Ayu being related to the winged ones. While Misuzu was a reincarnation, Ayu might be a descendant of theirs. _Those wings that Yuuichi described are too suspicious to pass up on. I better contact Uraha and Ryuya when we get to Ayu._

"Wait a second, before we go to Mai-san's place, I need to collect something from Yuuichi," declared Makoto.

"Huh? I don't remember owing you anything. We had our marriage thing, sure, but I don't recall anything else."

"Stupid Yuuichi. You forgot about my pork buns. Buy some now, auu~."

Yuuichi theatrically sighed and said,

"Some things never change, do they? Even so, I'm glad."

* * *

A few hours later, the group was heading towards the city hospital, Mai Kawasumi having joined them, and they were discussing on what exactly had to be done to proceed with their attempt to cure Ayu.

"Mai, let me introduce you to someone who Alan said could help. This is Yukito Kunisaki," said Yuuichi.

"Mai Kawasumi," she said, facing Yukito.

Yukito nodded. He had decided that he would contact Uraha and Ryuya before they attempted to cure Ayu.

"Hey Mai-san, you can channel healing powers with that sword of yours, right?" asked Makoto, who was munching on a pork bun.

She pointed to the thin-bladed rapier that Mai was carrying in her right hand.

"Yes. I can use this sword to channel your powers in conjunction with mine as well," she replied. "I sense that the two of us alone will not be enough to succeed, though."

Mai looked at Yukito and said,

"I can sense that you have some kind of power as well."

Yuuichi did a double-take at this and looked at Yukito as well.

"Yukito, what is she saying? You've got healing powers too? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I do not have healing powers. I only have limited telepathic powers, and even those, I cannot demonstrate without the use of the doll that I brought with me. I do not know how exactly I can help at this time, but rest assured, by the time we reach Ayu, I will know what I can do," said Yukito, nonplussed.

"Bah, I guess it'll do for now. As long as Ayu wakes up, I'll be fine," said Yuuichi. "By the way, Alan, did you know that Yukito had powers?"

"I knew, but I did not know what exactly they were. I did not tell you so as not to get your hopes up in case he was a flop. No offense, Yukito," replied Alan.

The group arrived at the hospital without any due fanfare. The secretary at the receptionist's desk noticed them and said,

"Welcome back, Aizawa-san. I take that you're here to see Tsukimiya-san again?"

Yuuichi nodded, and the secretary smiled at the group. Yuuichi, Mai and Alan began to move briskly, their familiarity with the hospital wards enough to throw Yukito off his tracks. Makoto ended up clinging to Yuuichi in the fear that she would get lost. They soon arrived at Ayu's ward, and Yukito gazed at the girl in the bed.

"So this is Ayu…"

"Yeah, Yukito. She's been in a coma for the past ten years. I discovered why I didn't remember anything of my childhood days in this town when I came back here three years ago. I tried to block the memory of Ayu's accident from my mind, and as a result, forgot about everything else that was related to this town."

"How did this happen anyway?" asked Yukito.

"Ayu… was sitting on a tree branch in our special grove near Monomi hill. It was just unfortunate that the wind suddenly increased in strength, and a gust of wind blew her off the tree branch she was sitting on."

Yukito flinched and Yuuichi continued,

"She fell down more than twenty feet from the tree. She hit the ground headfirst, and she was paralyzed from the neck down. I will never, ever forget that day until I die. She's been in this coma ever since. About a year ago, Mai, having mastered her healing abilities, tried to heal her, to no avail."

"I concluded at the time that my powers were insufficient to wake her up. This time, with Makoto's and possibly your powers at our disposal, Yukito, we have a better chance of succeeding," said Mai with a crisp tone in her voice.

"I see. Before we begin, I need to go to the bathroom for a bit. I'll be back right away," said Yukito.

He then exited the ward and proceeded to the nearest bathroom. Having found it, he opened one of the stalls and sat down on the toilet seat. He then closed his eyes and thought with all his might:

"_Uraha, Ryuya, I need you. Where are you both?"_

A few minutes passed, then the reply came. Yukito opened his eyes, but he saw that he was no longer in the bathroom stall he was in a few moments ago. His eyes revealed that he was back in the cherry grove he met Uraha and Ryuya in last night. To his surprise, it was foggy, unlike the previous night.

"_Uraha-san! Ryuya-san! Where are you?" called Yukito._

"_Hello, Yukito-san," replied a motherly voice._

_Out of the mist stepped Uraha. She smiled and said,_

"_Ryuya isn't here with us. He was summoned by a Greek witch, so it's just me today. I take it that you have found a descendant of the winged ones?"_

"_I'm not quite sure, but the girl lying in a comatose in the hospital ward I was just in may be. Her name is Ayu Tsukimiya. A friend of mine described her to me as having small wings on her back. Because of that, I suspected…"_

"_Ah, you mean Ayu-chan? Yes, I do believe she was descended from the winged ones, though she was not of Kanna's line. But she is in the same situation as Misuzu. A reincarnation of the winged ones, doomed to die when she found true happiness and love."_

"_And to save her, I need to channel the power in the doll that you and Ryuya left for me, as your descendant?"_

"_That's right, Yukito-san! Very good. That's all you need to do. Work with the kitsune and the other girl and you might succeed."_

"_I will. Thank you for your help," said Yukito._

Yukito's eyes opened, and he was back in the bathroom stall that he entered earlier. He reached into his pocket and took out the doll that his mother gave him when he was little, the doll that he used to earn money on his many travels. The doll that amused Misuzu when she was still alive…

"Damn, good thing I brought this with me," murmured Yukito to himself.

He left the bathroom, doll in hand, and proceeded to the ward where Yuuichi and the others were waiting.

"Yo Yukito, what took you so long?" asked Yuuichi.

"Ah, it's nothing. I just had a stroke of inspiration, and I know how I can help you guys. Shall we start?"

"Yes, it is time for us to begin. Yuuichi, please lock the door," said Mai as she began to unsheathe the sword.

"Are you sure? Why?"

"What would people think if they saw me holding this sword over a comatose person's head?" said Mai, deadpan.

"Oh. Okay then," replied Yuuichi as he and Alan closed the door.

"Makoto, please stand beside me," said Mai as she gently placed the flat edge of her rapier on Ayu's forehead.

"Now, hold my hand."

Makoto obliged. Now it was Yukito's turn. He took out the doll from his pocket and, as though he knew all along what to do, placed the doll beside Ayu's lifeless form on the bed.

"That's the doll you were talking about earlier?" asked Yuuichi.

Yukito nodded, and Mai said,

"Now it's time for us to begin. Makoto, focus on transferring part of your life force to Ayu through my sword. My sword can store such energies, so it makes for an excellent medium in transmitting such."

Makoto nodded, and to everyone's surprise, Mai gasped out loud and nearly lost her composure and control over the sword.

"T-that doll… It contains so much positive energy. It's like a living entity in itself, with that much life force contained within. Yukito, where did you get this?" asked Mai, aghast.

"My ancestors passed it down, generation to generation, until I inherited it from my mother. Rather, the style of the doll and the power contained within was passed down. My mother knit it for me when I was younger, and she told me to save the girl in the sky with it."

"Girl in the sky? Is that referring to Ayu?"

"Yes, and no. The first girl in the sky was the girl I loved, Misuzu. She died, and Alan found me when I was distraught. He told me that by helping you, I could get her back, so here I am, I guess. Ayu, on the other hand, is also like Misuzu. You told me she had wings on her back, right?" he gestured to Yuuichi.

"That's right. What are those supposed to mean?"

"Ayu is a descendant of the winged ones, who were said to possess supernatural powers. They were said to be direct servants of the gods," said Yukito. "Are any of you familiar with this?"

"I am," said Mai. "This explains why I can sense untapped power within Ayu's consciousness. Let us now proceed. With such power at our disposal, I am confident of our chances."

Makoto, Mai, and Yukito focused all their thoughts on their respective powers, focusing on them to be able to cure Ayu and for her to finally wake up from her coma.

"My god! Her finger twitched!" exclaimed Yuuichi. "Keep going guys! You can do it!"

The three did so for a few more minutes, but no other reaction was elicited from Ayu. Mai, Makoto, and Yukito all stopped, mentally exhausted from their ordeal.

"It seems that even with Yukito's doll, we failed. However, I did sense something blocking our attempts. Something artificial and magical, sapping the life force we attempted to transfer," said Mai. "I cannot determine what it is at the moment, but in time, I think I can shed light on this matter."

"Dammit!" exclaimed Yuuichi, obviously frustrated. "I thought we'd succeed this time. Her left finger twitched, but I guess we need more work."

"Not really, Yuuichi. Mai said something was sapping the life force they were transferring. I know of a solution to that that's even more supernatural than this, but for us to attain it, we have to head over to my home," said Alan.

"Where do you live anyway?" asked Yukito.

"I live in a city of miracles called Hikarizaka City," replied Alan.

* * *

_A/N: R&R please! The next chapter will be something pretty unexpected._


	6. Spring: Manipulation of Fate

_Disclaimers: All characters below are not my property, no copyright infringement is intended._

_A/N: I really wish this site had more flexibility when it comes to the crossover section, because it's limited to two categories. As of this chapter, my fic will be including a total of five categories. Yes, I really mean it. Five fandoms, and I hope I can pull this off till the very end._

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**Spring: Manipulation of Fate**

"Dammit, this really sucks," said Kirei Kotomine to himself, while he was skulking around in a children's playground. "Why is such a genius like myself being used for missions like these? I'm not a simple hired assassin. I should be taking over the world with the Holy Grail right now…"

And so it was for Kirei Kotomine. A few days ago, he was just about ready to obtain the Holy Grail for himself, as the only Masters remaining were himself and the naïve Shirou Emiya. Everything was about to fall into place, Gilgamesh was at his side again, and both Emiya and Saber were the last obstacles in the way for his plan to proceed to completion.

Until _he_ came. He remembered how it happened mere days ago with a heavy heart.

_He arrived out of nowhere in the middle of Kotomine Church, when Kirei had just finished setting up the Grail's corporeal vessel, Illyasviel's von Einzbern's heart that his Servant Gilgamesh had taken from her forcefully. Kirei was surprised at the appearance of the regal looking man in his church, and he sensed that this man was dangerous. Even if he had Gilgamesh under his control, he didn't want him charging needlessly into combat, as he needed him to be at a hundred percent if he was going to face Saber._

_The man strolled around the interior of the church until he saw the vessel of the Holy Grail. Kirei tensed when the man approached where the Grail had just formed, but he controlled himself, as he somehow knew that he would die if he called any attention to himself._

_The man stood still, staring intently at the Holy Grail, when he suddenly called out,_

"_I know you're there Kotomine. Come out. I need to have a word with you."_

_Kirei had no choice but to comply. He exited his hiding place and confronted the man and got a good look at him. If he were to describe the man, he'd look like a British judge with that kind of curly hair that reached down to his jaw._

"_Who are you? What do you want?" Kirei demanded._

"_Who I am is not important right now, but what I want, I already have. The Holy Grail you have here has transferred it's allegiance to me," said the man. "I'm sure you know that the Holy Grail is a sentient being corrupted with evil, right?"_

"_How the hell… I summoned it, I should have control of it!" Kirei shouted. _

"_Kotomine," called out another voice._

"_Gilgamesh! Get rid of this man, this instant," shouted Kirei, turning to the voice._

"_I'm sorry, but I can't do that. Since I'm tied to the Holy Grail, I have no choice but to obey him as well. The Holy Grail has transferred its allegiance to him," replied his Servant._

"_What the… So, are you going to kill me now?" said Kirei scornfully._

"_No. I have a mission for you in a few days. I expect you to carry it out flawlessly," said the man. "Fail and you die."_

"_Since I have no choice… Who are you anyway? You look like a British judge."_

"_In a sense, I _am_ from Britain, but it is not the Britain you know. The Britain where I came from ruled the entire world. I can explain more later… If I feel like letting you live. As for who I am? Just call me Charles," said the man._

"Focus. You don't want that guy to kill you, right?" he told himself.

He was transported here by Charles yesterday to perform his mission. He was no longer in the same world as Fuyuki City, but somehow, Charles had managed to send him to another dimension. Kirei was astounded at the power of the Grail; it allowed people to travel between dimensions. This dimension was of particular scrutiny to Charles, and Kirei was sent to drug a girl who was in the house across the street from where he was hiding.

He looked at the vial that he hid in his priestly robes. Refrain, that was what the drug was called. Charles told him that whoever ingested the drug would, in a few words, live in the past. They would hallucinate, seeing happy and false memories from their past that coincided with their deepest desires.

He checked his other pocket for the picture of the girl he was to drug. A kindergarten teacher named Kyou Fujibayashi; she had long mauve hair and she wore a white lace ribbon on it. Kirei spotted her yesterday after wandering around in this small city; thankfully, no one thought he looked out of place in his priestly garb. He honestly didn't know what Charles wanted with the woman, but he decided against contacting him, out of fear of pissing him off enough to kill him. He stalked her today and found her in the house across the street which apparently, doubled as a bakery.

"Furukawa Bread" was what the sign above the door said.

Kirei silently moved in on his target: a sports bottle that was situated on a small table that was easily accessible from the house's bathroom. Even in the dark, he had already performed reconaissance on the household earlier and thus, he knew the perfect way to infiltrate the house.

He crossed the street, making as little noise as possible, climbed over the neighbor's wall, and entered the bakery through the bathroom, whose window was barely enough for him to fit in. He saw that the living room was empty, and in a span of three seconds, he poured the Refrain into the bottle and was back in the bathroom. He quietly exited the bathroom and went back to the playground across the street.

"Time to call it a day," said Kirei to himself, as he began to walk towards the apartment room he rented.

* * *

"Nagisa, thanks for having me over," said Kyou.

"It's no problem Kyou-chan," replied Nagisa.

The Furukawa's bakery was currently home to both Nagisa Okazaki and Kyou Fujibayashi. Both Akio and Sanae-san were out with Nagisa's daughter Ushio, as they pleaded with her and Tomoya a few days ago for them to have some quality time with They went to see a Disney movie in the nearby theater, and wouldn't be back until much later that night. Since Tomoya had work, Nagisa was asked by her parents to manage the shop that day. She obliged, and she invited Kyou over so she would have some company that evening.

The two of them were seated at the living room table, watching reruns of old drama series on the television.

"You know Nagisa, it feels just like yesterday when we were trying to reestablish the Drama Club…," said Kyou wistfully.

"I'll never forget those times. Without any of your help, I probably wouldn't have succeeded in doing that. I'm still really thankful to you guys," replied Nagisa.

"It's no problem. We're friends, and that's what we do: help each other," said Kyou happily. "How's Ushio been lately?"

"She said that she enjoys kindergarten with you as her teacher. She said that her sensei is a pretty lady with a really cute pet. Even if it's only her first year with you, she enjoyed school a lot. Aren't four year olds like her hard to handle?"

"Ah yeah, she loves to play with Botan during the recess breaks," said Kyou. "I'm used to kids like them, so it's no problem. Really, she said I was pretty, huh? She's not like her father; he never flatters anybody."

"You're right," replied Nagisa. "Tomoya-kun never flatters, and he's usually honest when he's criticizing someone or something. Like my mom's bread, but I remember my dad getting mad at him for telling her what he really thought about her bread. Say Kyou-chan, I'm going to make some tea first. It'll help us wash down the dinner we had."

"Sure, Nagisa, thanks a lot. You cook really well! I'm sure Tomoya must be one lucky guy to have you around," said Kyou.

Nagisa smiled and left the room. Kyou's thoughts then turned inward.

_They've been happily married for the past four years and yet after all this time, I still like Tomoya. I know it's forbidden territory, since he and Nagisa are already married, but I can't seem to get over him. Ever since that day when we met in our junior year… He's had my heart ever since._

Kyou stood up and went to the kitchen.

"Hey Nagisa-chan, I'm going to get some leftover bread, if you don't mind," called Kyou.

"Sure Kyou-chan, just get as much as you like. Please wait, the tea is almost done!" called Nagisa.

"Okay, but I have a bottle in the living room with some tonic in it; I can just drink that for a bit!"

Kyou went back to the living room and sat down at the table. She flipped channels on the television for a few minutes, taking a bite out of Nagisa's bread every now and then.

She reached over to her bottle on the other table, and drank some of its contents. Immediately, her vision began to blur.

"W-what? What's going on?" said Kyou.

Suddenly, Tomoya appeared in front of her.

"Kyou… It's me, Tomoya," said Tomoya.

"Hey, Tomoya, how'd you get here?" asked Kyou.

"That's not important, but this is," said Tomoya as he swooped in to kiss Kyou, who stumbled onto the floor out of shock.

"Tomoya, what the--," she began, but Kyou Fujibayashi found herself returning Tomoya's kiss.

They broke apart, and Tomoya said,

"Kyou, I'm going to divorce Nagisa. Let's get married."

"R-Really? Is that okay?"

"Yeah."

Kyou heard some footsteps, and then she heard Nagisa's voice.

"Kyou-chan, the tea's ready! Eh, Kyou, what are you doing on the floor? Let me help you up," said Nagisa.

"Kyou, Nagisa saw us. She saw us kiss! She has to be silenced," commanded Tomoya.

Kyou Fujibayashi was drugged and she did not realize that the Tomoya she was seeing was merely an illusion. Nagisa didn't notice anything else amiss with Kyou. That is, until Kyou grabbed her hand and punched her in the face.

"GAH! Kyou, what are you doing!?" shouted Nagisa, rubbing her jaw where Kyou punched her.

"GIVE TOMOYA BACK TO ME!" screamed Kyou.

"I can't, we're married, you know that!" shouted Nagisa in desperation. "What's gotten into you Kyou?"

"Shut up!" shouted Kyou, blind with anger.

"Someone help me!" screamed Nagisa as Kyou began to beat her up with her bare fists.

* * *

It was a long day for Tomoya Okazaki. Tired after a hard day's work at Hikarizaka Electric Company, he went over to Furukawa Bread, because that was where he and Nagisa would be staying that night.

"When I get home, I'm going to get Nagisa to give me a bath. I'm so damn tired," he mumbled to himself.

Imagine his surprise when he entered the bakery and saw his longtime friend Kyou beating the shit out of his wife.

"KYOU! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" screamed Tomoya as he proceeded to restrain Kyou. "Nagisa, are you all right?"

"My body hurts all over, Tomoya-kun… I don't know what came over Kyou-chan," said Nagisa weakly.

Tomoya locked Kyou's arms around her back while she struggled. He then appraised Nagisa's injuries and he saw, to his horror, that her face was black and blue.

Tomoya was filled with rage, and he shouted,

"Kyou! What's gotten into you? Why did you beat Nagisa up?"

Kyou continued to struggle in Tomoya's grip for a few more seconds until she went limp.

"Well Kyou, you better have a good explanation for this, or so help me I am going to press assault charges against you," said Tomoya menacingly.

"Huh? What's going on?" asked Kyou groggily. "Hey Tomoya, I thought we were going to get married. Huh? Why do you have me in an armlock?"

"Kyou, when I entered this room, you were beating up Nagisa. And I don't recall saying I'd get married to you. What is the meaning of this!?" demanded Tomoya.

"K-Kyou… Why…?" Nagisa weakly managed.

She looked over at Nagisa and she realized what she had blindly done moments ago.

"Oh my god… I'm so sorry Nagisa."

Kyou began to cry in Tomoya's arms, but then Tomoya heard the words that truly scared him.

"Tomoya-kun… It's getting pretty dark… I think I'll go to sleep first. Don't worry, I'm not going to die. Just please… Get me to the hospital. It really hurts," said Nagisa as she closed her eyes.

"NO! NAGISA!! Dammit, gotta get her to the hospital. Nagisa, hold on!" shouted Tomoya.

* * *

_A/N: We'll shift back to Yukito, Yuuichi and the others next chapter. Read and review please!_


	7. Spring: Coming Together

_Disclaimer: All characters are properties of their respective owners_

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**Spring: Coming Together**

With the sobbing Kyou and the now-unconscious Nagisa beside him, Tomoya Okazaki was, in a word, really tired. His wife was beaten black and blue by one of his closest friends since high school. Stunned, he gaped at the scene after calling out Nagisa's name…

"_Get her to the hospital, huh?" thought Tomoya_.

He snapped out of his reverie and decided that he'd do just that. Shaking off the initial shock, he gently lifted the unconscious Nagisa in his arms and brought her to the old man's car, after unlocking it. He was sure that Akio wouldn't complain how his car was used without his permission; it was rather unfortunate timing that Tomoya's car was at the repair shop at the moment.

After gently laying Nagisa in the backseat of the car, he ran back into the house and grabbed the still sobbing Kyou by the arm, dragging her towards the car.

"Why did I do that?" Kyou whispered amidst her tears.

"You tell me," muttered Tomoya. "You're coming with me to the hospital Kyou. You better have a damn good explanation for this."

"Wait Tomoya… Take my water bottle with us…," managed Kyou, pointing at the sports bottle that lay on the small table.

"What on earth for?" asked Tomoya.

"Just do it, idiot. That bottle might be the reason for all this," said Kyou groggily.

Tomoya obliged, and he helped Kyou into the front seat of the old man's car. He gave the sports bottle to Kyou as he pulled out of the street, making his way towards the hospital.

"Hold on Nagisa," Tomoya said. "Everything's going to be all right."

"Tomoya," mumbled Kyou. "I feel like I've been drugged or something… Whatever it was, it probably is in my sports bottle. I don't know how, but when I took a swig from the bottle, I suddenly saw you, and you kissed me and told me that you were going to marry me."

"You know how I still feel about you, even after you and Nagisa have been married for four years," continued Kyou. "I just lost it when I saw those things."

"Probably hallucinations," Tomoya mumbled to himself as he floored the gas pedal on the old man's car. "Kyou would never hurt Nagisa otherwise…"

After two minutes, they arrived at the hospital. Having called the emergency room personnel, Tomoya made a mental note to call Kotomi after Nagisa and Kyou had been stabilized, so that the mystery surrounding the contents of Kyou's water bottle would be dispelled.

* * *

"And just where is this Hikarizaka City?" asked Yukito.

"It's not of this world," said Alan. "It seems that it's finally time for me to tell everyone the extent of my abilities. Yukito, did you not wonder how you got here?"

"Of course I did. One minute we were at the temple, the next minute we were in this snowy town. How the hell did you do that Alan?" inquired Yukito.

Mai suddenly nodded, as though she understood. Makoto and Yuuichi were left hanging, waiting for Alan's answer. The room was so silent and stale it was as if even Ayu were listening in on this conversation.

"I am a Dimensional Slider," answered Alan.

"What's that?" asked Yukito and Yuuichi in unison.

"My suspicions were correct," said Mai.

"You suspected, Mai? After all this time? Why didn't you drop me a hint?" asked Yuuichi.

"I only sensed traces of other dimensions within Alan's psyche, or rather, where he invokes the power. I wasn't too sure anyway, so I did not want to assume anything until he told us," replied Mai.

"What is a Dimensional Slider anyway?" inquired Yukito

"A Dimensional Slider has the ability to jump through small tears in the space-time continuum into other dimensions. Those tears are called tesseracts. They are openings for me to travel through to get to other dimensions," answered Alan.

"Are there any more people with your powers Alan?" asked Yuuichi.

"From my world, there is another. She received those powers at the same time I did, four years ago. She woke up from a coma after seven years, since she was hit by a car on the day she was supposed to start attending high school. Currently, she is in another dimension, taking up her final year of high school as a repeat student to monitor the person who supposedly gave us these powers."

It seemed as though only Mai understood the slightest bit of what Alan was saying, as both Yukito and Yuuichi had blank looks on their faces. Makoto was just biting her lip, unable to comprehend what was going on.

"In Japanese, Alan. Who is the source of your powers anyway?" asked Yukito.

"She is currently a second year high school student in her home world. According to some people I've met over the past four years, she has the ability to create and unmake reality itself. She is, however, unaware of this, and it remains to be seen whether or not she can affect other worlds aside from her home world. That is why my colleague from my home world is monitoring her as a student in that girl's school. She even joined an after-school club that the girl started, to be able to monitor her closely."

"Too bad… We sure could use her help with Ayu and Misuzu," said Yuuichi.

"Indeed, but the person who briefed me said that it was dangerous for the girl to become aware of her reality shaping powers. Her powers are controlled by her emotions, so if she becomes stressed, she may end up remaking her home world, and no one there would be the wiser. That is why we should avoid her unless we have no other choice," said Alan.

"So someone in your home world has the potential to help us?" asked Yukito.

"Yes. Two people, in fact, though only one of them possesses the true power to help. The other person is her mother, but she is also crucial for the younger girl's powers to work."

"And what powers are these?" asked Yuuichi.

"My home city is known for being a place of miracles. A city legend once said that when a happy event occurs, an orb of light would materialize out of nowhere, and if you obtain that orb of light, a wish could be granted."

"It would appear to me, based on your description, that those orbs of light would contain positive energy, similar to my healing powers and Makoto's life-force manipulation, is that correct?" asked Mai.

"Indeed. To round all of this together, around a decade ago, my brother and his wife postulated the existence of other worlds aside from our own. However, before their research was completed, they died in a tragic plane crash. Since then, their daughter has been continuing their work. However, a few years ago, things hit a standstill, until four years ago, when I and my colleague gained these powers. We were then able to confirm the existence of other worlds by sliding into them. We took down data and I reported everything to my niece. If anything, she would be the expert on all of this. That is why I want to go back to my home world, so we can obtain those orbs of light for us to be able to wake Ayu up, as well as to consult with my niece," said Alan.

"That girl has the ability to manifest the appearance of those orbs of light at will," continued Alan. "That is why we'll pay them a visit."

"How are we going to transport the orbs of light then?" asked Yukito. "Wouldn't their power dissipate if not stored properly?"

"That's true, that is why Mai is coming along with us," said Alan. "Makoto, I'm afraid you'll have to stay. Someone has to keep watch over Ayu while we're gone. You're the best possible watchman for this job. If Ayu's condition worsens, just supply her with some of your life force, okay?"

"I guess I can do that. But… Yuuichi is going to owe me a LOT of pork buns."

"No problem Makoto. Remind me when we get back," said Yuuichi with a smile.

"So, when do we proceed to your home world?" asked Mai.

"Right now," said Alan. "Gather around me, everyone. Makoto, good luck. We'll be back soon."

Makoto nodded as the entire group of Alan, Yuuichi, Yukito, and Mai disappeared.

* * *

The next thing Yukito and the rest of the group knew, they were standing in a mellow little lane at the bottom of a small hill. Cherry blossoms were in full bloom, meaning that it was spring. Yuuichi looked up the hill and saw a few school buildings in the distance. At their back, the sun was a beautiful orange disk, receding into the distance. It was late afternoon.

"My niece studied there when she was in high school. Since then, she's been studying in America. She's on spring break right now, so she's here, and we're going to see her. She'll explain more on the existence of multiple worlds, and she's also friends with the people you need to ask for help from," said Alan.

The group turned their backs on the school and made their way through the quaint streets of the small town, until they reached a regal looking household on a street corner. The garden appeared to be well kept, with a small table and chairs to boot. The flower bed was full of chrysanthemums and poppies, and Alan walked up to the doorbell and pressed the button.

The front door opened, and a girl wearing a black dress came out. Her hair was pigtailed, with orange beads at the ties, and she was holding a violin in her arms.

"Uncle Alan, it's you," she said. "Welcome back."

However, her eyes suddenly fell on the large group that was with Alan. Her eyebrows twitched for a second, and she spoke again.

"Are they your friends?"

"Yes, they're friends of mine who need help. They also have to understand what you and your parents were working on. Even the basics will just be fine," said Alan.

"Okay, Uncle. Ah, I haven't introduced myself yet. Umm… My name is Kotomi Ichinose. I'm a college student studying nuclear physics in America. My hobby is reading books and researching more about my parents' posthumous thesis. I would be glad if you would be my friends," said the girl.

"My name is Yukito Kunisaki," said Yukito.

"Yuuichi Aizawa," said Yuuichi, bowing.

"I am Mai Kawasumi," said Mai, a deadpan serious look on her face.

"Umm… so Uncle Alan said that you need some things explained, right?" asked Kotomi.

"That's right. Like an explanation for his powers, at least," said Yuuichi.

"I can tell you about then in layman's terms, but the mathematical proof would most likely be lost on you, unless any of you have Ph. D's… Ah! Sorry, that was uncalled for," said Kotomi, while bowing.

"No offense taken," said Yuuichi. "We just need your help, and Alan here told us that a friend of yours could help us."

"I see… Come in, please," beckoned Kotomi as she turned on her heels and entered the house.

* * *

The Ichinose household appeared to be well looked after to the group. They seated themselves at the living room table, while Kotomi prepared tea in the kitchen. Night had fallen, and this was a welcome break for them.

"If all goes well, Ayu will be awake in a day or two, with respect to our perspective of time," said Alan. "Kotomi's friend's daughter will most likely be able to assist us in this matter."

Yukito and Yuuichi nodded; Mai just kept her stoic face on, taking everything in without any reaction.

Kotomi entered the living room, with a tray full of teacups and a teapot. She served tea to everyone, and then she sat down.

"Umm… What do you have to know?" she asked the group.

"Alan here said that your parents theorized the existence of multiple worlds," said Yukito. "We know now that that is completely true. Can you tell us how Alan gained these powers?"

"I can't tell you how he gained them, but I can say that he was 'granted' those powers one day a few years ago. He told me that one day, he just knew that he had those powers and how to use them."

"She's right. I just somehow knew that I had these powers, and how to use them. I already told you that a second year high school girl granted me these powers. Some people arrived from her world and they informed me of what her nature was and what her capabilities were. Again, I've already mentioned the gist of this earlier," said Alan.

"Alright already, you don't have to say it like that," said Yukito with a small hint of annoyance.

"Heh… My bad," chuckled Alan.

"Anyways, Kotomi, Alan also told us he had a colleague here, and he or she is now monitoring the source of their powers. Could you tell us how they are related to one another? What kind of ties did they have?" asked Yuuichi.

"Oh, you mean Fu-chan? She's my friend from high school. She was in a coma for a long time, but when she woke up, she discovered that she had the same powers as Uncle over here."

The phone suddenly rang. Kotomi stood up and answered it.

"Ichinose. Who is on the line, please?"

"Huh? What are you doing at the hospital? Seriously? Oh my goodness, I'll be over right away," said Kotomi, her voice suddenly agitated as she dropped the call.

"Kotomi, what's wrong?" asked Alan, a concerned look on his face.

"It's Tomoya-kun. He said that Nagisa-chan's been seriously injured by Kyou-chan, but he wouldn't elaborate on the phone. He just told me that Kyou-chan was drugged and she hallucinated and beat Nagisa-chan up. I'm headed over there right now," said Kotomi.

"Perfect timing. We need to come along, then," said Alan to the group. "Kotomi, they should meet Nagisa as soon as possible. Mai over there has the ability to heal injuries."

"Really? That's great then. Let's all head over there as fast as we can," said Kotomi.

Everyone stepped outside, and Kotomi locked up quickly. Then, they ran as fast as they could to the hospital, with Kotomi leading the way. Yukito and Yuuichi looked at each other and smiled wryly at their situation: How come no one has a car when they needed one?

* * *

Tomoya was pacing around in the waiting room, agitated. The cup of coffee in his hand was not helping him in the slightest. Nagisa and Kyou were already confined in the same room, both having been stabilized already. The doctors said that Nagisa's injuries were not lethal, but they found that she had a fractured right arm. Kyou was given medicine, and a blood sample was taken from her, when Tomoya said that she had been poisoned. A sample of her sports bottle's contents was taken for analysis, though Tomoya knew that he'd get the basic nature of the substance faster if he asked Kotomi. He called her and she said that she was on her way.

Tomoya decided not to inform Sanae-san and the old man at first about this, because Ushio would be scared about what happened. He decided to let things settle down first, before he let them know.

"Tomoya-kun!" called a soft voice.

His thoughts were interrupted; he turned and saw Kotomi with her uncle. He showed surprise when he saw that they weren't alone; two guys and a girl were following them.

"Kotomi, who are they?" asked Tomoya.

"They're friends of Uncle," she answered. "The girl, Mai-san, can help Nagisa-chan out. Is her ward off limits?"

"No. I just stepped outside because of this," he replied, holding up the styrofoam cup for her to see.

"Then, Mai, go into the room and heal the brown haired girl in there," said Alan.

"What are you talking about?" said Tomoya. "More people with supernatural powers?"

"In a word Okazaki, yes," replied Alan.

Tomoya could just watch as Alan and Mai strolled into Nagisa's ward. Tomoya's eyes then fell on the two guys that were with Kotomi.

"Who are you guys?" he asked.

"Yukito Kunisaki," said the gray haired one.

"Yuuichi Aizawa," said the brown haired one.

"What business do you have with Kotomi?" asked Tomoya.

"Tomoya-kun, they need Ushio-chan and Nagisa-chan's help," said Kotomi.

"Help? How?"

"The Light Orbs," answered Kotomi.

It dawned on Tomoya.

"Oh. And why should I help them?"

"Helping friends is good," said Kotomi. "But I myself have yet to hear what they need help for."

"My girlfriend is, or rather, was descended from the winged ones, servants of the gods themselves. She was a reincarnation of an ancient winged one, cursed to die and reincarnate whenever she found true love. I was able to avert that the first time it happened, but she still died. I suspect a greater evil at hand here," said Yukito.

"My childhood friend has been in a coma for the past ten years," said Yuuichi. "She fell off a tree branch and she was paralyzed from the neck down. Mai's healing powers are real, but when we tried to heal her, nothing happened. Something was blocking our efforts, and Alan said that we needed more firepower, to use the term so crudely."

"And so he told you about my wife and daughter?" asked Tomoya.

"Not really, he didn't say much about them," said Yuuichi. "What can they do anyway?"

"My daughter can invoke miracles when she's happy," said Tomoya. "However, her mother has to be by her side as well. With Nagisa like this, Ushio won't be able to help you right now."

The ward doors opened, and the boys turned and saw Mai and Alan striding out of the ward.

"It was successful," said Mai.

"Nagisa needs a night's rest," said Alan. "Otherwise, she'll be perfectly fine."

"Seriously?" said Tomoya, surprised. He turned to Mai,

"Thank you for your help. I'll do whatever I can to repay you guys."

"Great. I'm assuming they've already shared their stories with you, Okazaki. You should understand that, and help them," said Alan.

"I will. But first, Kotomi has to take a look at something first."

"What is it, Tomoya-kun?"

"Kyou's water bottle. It's in the ward," said Tomoya.

Tomoya and Kotomi entered the ward, leaving the rest of them in the waiting room.

* * *

_A/N: Cliffhanger. Sorry for the delay. Also, I understand that I'm writing for a nearly nonexistent audience at the moment. Still, I'll make sure to finish this in due time. For my few readers, please R&R, thanks! :D_


	8. Spring: Memories of Another World

_Disclaimer: All non OC characters are properties of their respective owners._

_A/N: This story is working with the assumption that Kotomi has fully explained to Tomoya her parents' theory, and that Tomoya, using that information, has deduced the nature of Ushio's powers. This agrees with canon, but I have added here the fact that Tomoya is aware that he was once the Garbage Doll in the Illusionary World and that Ushio was the Girl who lived there._

_Prepare yourself for a pretty long chapter. :P  


* * *

_

**Spring: Memories of Another World**

"Tomoya-kun, is this what you wanted me to inspect?"

Kotomi gestured at the sports bottle that stood on the bedside table between Nagisa and Kyou's beds.

"Yeah, that's the one," said Tomoya.

He looked over at Nagisa and he was surprised at the sight that befell him. Nagisa, whom he had brought to the hospital all black and blue, looked unscathed from where he stood. Tomoya walked over to Nagisa's side and held her hand. Her hand was no longer bruised, and Nagisa appeared to be sleeping peacefully.

"I wonder what that girl Mai did to Nagisa… In any case, I owe them."

"I think you should help them, Tomoya-kun," said Kotomi. "They seem to be nice people, and the two boys have gone through the same hardships as you have."

"I guess. I know that the memory I had of Nagisa and Ushio dying was real. Heh… I remember how I told you about it, and you said that it practically proved your parents' theory."

"Yup, but the problem is, the scientific community only accepts mathematical proof. It's going to be a while before any of them is convinced I'm right, despite the fact that Uncle Alan and Fuko are living proof," said Kotomi. "I wonder how Fu-chan's doing over there…"

Tomoya looked at Nagisa's peaceful face, and just kneeled beside her, cradling her hand all the while.

"She's supposed to monitor that girl who supposedly gave her and your uncle their powers, right? What's the girl's name anyway?" asked Tomoya.

"Her name is Haruhi Suzumiya. All we know about her is that she can warp her homeworld's reality without her knowing she can do it. What my uncle, Fuko, and I wish to discover is if she can affect _other_ worlds," said Kotomi. "ESPers from her dimension visited my uncle and I one day two years ago, and they briefed us on her abilities. She doesn't know that she has those reality warping powers, and those ESPers want to keep her locked out of the loop."

"I see. I do hope Fuko's doing fine. She hasn't been back for one whole year, and she said she'd visit during the holidays in that world."

"Who knows, Tomoya-kun. Who knows…," trailed Kotomi off into silence. "I better take this bottle to my house so I can analyze its contents. I'll probably have results later, so please stop by if you aren't going to sleep. I'll leave you with Uncle and the rest of them."

Kotomi turned and strolled out of the ward. Tomoya just stayed where he was: kneeling beside Nagisa, gently holding her hand, glad that she was going to be alright.

He turned to the other bed and saw Kyou. She also looked peaceful, despite her being drugged. _I was glad that she didn't beat Nagisa up of her own accord, though her continuing feelings for me might make things worse… Gah, maybe I should set her up with Sunohara sometime? If that bumbling idiot would act like a member of society, this would be much easier…_

_

* * *

_

The ward doors opened again, and out strolled Kotomi, a water bottle in her hand. Yukito, Yuuichi, Mai, and Alan looked up at her.

"Kotomi, where are you going?" asked Alan.

"I'm going home. I have to analyze the content of this container as soon as possible," she replied. "I'll leave you guys for now. Please pass by my house later, when Tomoya-kun comes for the results of my analysis. I'm sure you'll find the information useful."

"Alright, we will. See you later," said Alan.

Kotomi continued down the hallway, and she was soon out of the group's sight.

Alan then turned to the other two men in the room.

"Tomoya Okazaki's daughter is the one that we need to enlist for help. Problem is, it's not her full self which wields the power of invoking miracles, or as Mai puts it, channeling positive energy."

Mai nodded, and Alan continued, both Yukito and Yuuichi listening intently.

"She has some sort of 'other self' within her. One day, a few years ago, I detected her presence. When the child was asleep, I asked for Tomoya's permission if I could enter that world inside her that her other self inhabited. He agreed, and when I slid in there, I encountered a girl in white who was singlehandedly the source of the orbs of light that were attributed to this very city. Delving further into their history, Tomoya told me that when his wife was a little girl, she almost died, but her father made a pact with the spirits of the land, thus linking her to the land's state of affairs. Their daughter seems to have inherited this affinity with the city, thus it perfectly explains how she is able to invoke miracles with those orbs of light."

"When we come into close contact with her, I should also be able to sense this, and confirm what you have just told us," said Mai.

"So Mai will be able to transport those orbs of light, huh?" wondered Yuuichi aloud.

"That should be the case, as those orbs are manifestations of positive energy. Combined with Mai's healing capabilities, and Makoto's newly discovered powers, we should be able to wake Ayu up," said Alan.

"Alright, I get it. But answer this Alan: How exactly will waking Ayu up help me in getting Misuzu back?" asked Yukito.

"Ayu also has the ability to invoke miracles. Mai and I sensed this sometime ago, so we're pretty sure that we're right. Just like we're doing with Ayu, we're basically gathering enough firepower for us to be able to undo Misuzu's death, though the exact mechanics of that event are still beyond me. I do not know if time will turn back to the day Misuzu died, averting that event in the process, or if Misuzu will be resurrected. It's probably something we should ask Kotomi though," said Alan. "She may know something, but I have no guarantees."

The ward doors opened once again, and out strolled Tomoya Okazaki. The rugged look on his face was gone, replaced with an expression of neutrality.

"Alan, I'm headed over to Kotomi's place. You guys coming?" asked Tomoya.

"We are," replied Alan. "I take it you're going to help us?"

"Yeah, but only when Nagisa has gotten better. I still don't know what to tell Sanae-san and the old man. I left my cellular phone at the bakery, so they can't contact me right now. I'll be headed over there in the morning to straighten things out, so I guess I'll be able to help after everything's normalized," rattled Tomoya.

Yukito walked up to Tomoya and extended his hand.

"Thanks for helping."

Tomoya took Yukito's hand and shook it, saying,

"I do owe you guys."

"Thanks man," said Yuuichi.

* * *

It was three in the morning, but Tomoya had no intentions of turning in. He cursed himself for his stupidity at leaving his mobile phone in the bakery, meaning the old man and Sanae-san wouldn't be able to contact him. He wouldn't be surprised if they had called the police by now, since he and Nagisa were both out of their reach.

Inside the Ichinose household, while the group was discussing their plans, and Kotomi performing some tests on the contents of Kyou's sports bottle, he called Furukawa Bread up. After a few rings, the phone picked up.

"Furukawa. Is this the police? Have you found Tomoya-san and Nagisa-san?" said a motherly voice.

"Sanae-san, it's me, Tomoya."

"Tomoya-san! Where are you and Nagisa? You had us both worried," said Sanae-san

"I'm at Kotomi Ichinose's house. Something came up, and I had to bring Nagisa to the hospital. I'm sorry for not being able to inform you, but it was an urgent matter," said Tomoya.

"I see. So Nagisa is staying over at the hospital?" asked Sanae-san.

"Yes."

"What happened to her Tomoya-san?"

"I, umm, she…"

Tomoya had no other alternative but to lie, to keep Sanae-san and the old man in the dark. He didn't want them finding out that Kyou, albeit drugged, had beaten up Nagisa.

"She tripped over the doorstep and landed badly on her left shoulder. She said that it hurt so much, so I brought her over to the hospital. The orthopedic specialist examined her and said that she dislocated her left shoulder. Unlike my case however, the doctor was able to pop her joint back into place, and no lasting harm was done. He said that painkillers and a night's rest would do," lied Tomoya smoothly.

"I see, she can be clumsy at times, after all."

"Yeah, that's part of what appeals to me too," said Tomoya without thinking.

_Oops_.

"My my, Tomoya-san…" giggled Sanae-san.

"Sanae-san!" chuckled Tomoya. "Anyway, please tell the old man not to worry. By the way, how's Ushio doing?"

"Thankfully, she didn't notice you and Nagisa's absence, since she was so sleepy from watching the movie."

"I see. Sanae-san, I'll be staying over at the hospital tonight. I want to be with Nagisa. Please take care of Ushio tonight for us," said Tomoya.

"Sure, Tomoya-san. I'm sure Nagisa would want you to be there too," said Sanae-san. "Good night."

"Good night, Sanae-san."

He dropped the call and returned to the living room from the hallway. A merry sight met him, with Alan, Yukito, and Yuuichi all in a good mood, smiles on their faces, while Mai was reading a magazine.

"Hey guys, what's so funny?"

"Nothing, Tomoya," answered Yuuichi, a smile on his face. "We're just liking our chances."

"At what exactly?" inquired Tomoya, his brow furrowing.

"Ayu, my childhood friend has been in a coma for ten years. Using Mai's healing abilities over here, along with help from another friend and Yukito, we tried to wake her up by transferring a large amount of positive energy into her being. Something was blocking our efforts, as though a wall was there, and Alan said that we needed more power. That is why he suggested that we enlist the help of your wife and daughter," said Yuuichi.

"Hold on for a second. How does that tie in with your girlfriend, Yukito?" asked Tomoya.

"Alan said that Ayu has abilities similar to your daughter's. We're working on the idea that more positive energy is better, as both of them have abilities to invoke miracles. At least, that's what Alan told me," replied Yukito.

"I see. I'll discuss this with Nagisa in the morning, when she feels better. As for Ushio… Most of the specifications relating to that would need Alan's help. Leave those things to him," said Tomoya. "As for Kyou, I'll handle the questioning on what happened. Kotomi is helping with regards to the contents in the bottle."

The mood in the room was light; the men had their hopes up, and everyone was enjoying a good laugh, while Mai, who had finished reading, just stared at them, her eyebrows raised, before the expression disappeared into one of boredom-induced neutrality.

"Tomoya-kuuuuun!" called Kotomi. "It's not a clear cut identification, but I've got some results."

She entered the living room and Tomoya was on his feet.

"What do you have, Kotomi?"

"I don't remember encountering the chemical before, but basic tests have shown it to be a hallucinogen, as well as a dopamine stimulant that was engineered to focus on the segment of brain cortex attuned to human emotion," said Kotomi.

Only Mai and Alan seemed to understand what Kotomi said, and the other three just blurted out simultaneously,

"Eh?"

"Kotomi, in Japanese, please," said Tomoya.

"Kyou-chan hallucinated about her emotional desires that were directly involved with her past. Specifically, her past with you," stated Kotomi. "Umm… I knew that I wasn't the only one who liked you back then, aside from Nagisa-chan."

She slightly blushed and continued,

"I noticed that Tomoyo-chan, Ryou-chan, and even Kyou-chan all liked you, but among them, Kyou-chan was the one in denial the most. If it weren't for you helping me make friends, I would have never noticed those subtle things."

"I-I see," mumbled Tomoya. _I didn't think Kyou's crush on me would haunt me even now, but here we are…_

"By the way Kotomi, could Yuuichi and the others stay the night?" asked Alan.

"Umm, sure, we have two spare guest rooms. Mai-san, you can sleep in my room tonight. Take my bed, I'll prepare a futon for myself," said Kotomi.

Mai looked up at Kotomi and stared at her for a few seconds. She then nodded slightly and said,

"Thank you."

Kotomi smiled and she left the living room, making her way towards the guest rooms which would be inhabited shortly.

"Well, I'm glad that's settled then," said Alan. "If you guys wanna take a bath, you're gonna have to prepare it yourself. I don't want Kotomi doing too much for us."

Yuuichi and Yukito nodded, then Alan turned to Tomoya.

"And what about you? Are you going back to the bakery?"

"No. Ushio will be with the old man and Sanae-san, so I'm heading back to the hospital then. See you guys in the morning," said Tomoya. "Kotomi! I'm going now!"

"See you Tomoya-kun. Take care!"replied Kotomi, her voice coming from somewhere within the house.

Tomoya gave the guys one last look, nodded at them, and walked out of the door into the night.

He slowly walked through the streets of Hikarizaka, remembering those days when he first started working, and Nagisa would support him at his small apartment room. He remembered when she got sick and had to repeat her senior year again, thinking of all the times he had spent with her. With a pang, he remembered the reality where she died, where he became a bad father to Ushio, where he reconciled with Ushio, where fate decided to take Ushio away from him. Suddenly, a faint memory stirred within his mind, as he silently continued walking towards the hospital.

* * *

_If she was going to become weak because of the snow, then I shouldn't have forced her to leave the house. All I did was bring her suffering._

_Is this truly the end of our journey? No, I don't want it to be the end. I don't want her to go to sleep in such a cold and heartless place. But here, she was close to it, lying in the snow, eyes closed, her pulse weakening._

_I looked up into the snowstorm while holding the girl's hand. Something was there that shouldn't be, and I was surprised. It was the sheep that I met so long ago, when the snow hadn't started to fall. I cradled the girl's hand, all the while examining the sheep that suddenly appeared in front of us. The sheep's legs were black, and so was its tail._

_It moved closer to us, and it stood beside the girl. Suddenly, the sheep was gone. In its place was another girl, but she was dressed differently as the girl that lay in the snow. She had a party hat on her head, and she was wearing a cream colored uniform. Her olive green hair was tied in a low-rising ponytail behind her, and she was clutching a wooden sculpture in her hand._

_She knelt beside the girl in the snow and whispered in her ear, loud enough for me to hear._

"_Hey. Wake up. Fuko doesn't think this is the end."_

_She prodded the girl one more time and said,_

"_Fuko knows you. Fuko memorized your scent, so no matter where you are, Fuko could find you. Fuko knows it's you… Ushio-chan. Wake up."_

_The girl's eyes suddenly opened slightly, and the one who called herself Fuko whispered in her ear,_

"_Ushio-chan… It's me, Fuko. Remember me. Remember who you are, and remember who this friend of yours truly is."_

_Fuko gestured at me as she said this, and I could only hope to understand what she was saying._

"_You're there, right?" said a voice._

_It was the girl, and she was awake again, despite her being weakened by the cold._

_Of course, I'm always at your side, I replied, despite knowing that she wouldn't hear me._

"_Thank you," she said._

_Huh?_

"_I can finally hear your voice," said the girl._

_You're right, you can hear me!_

"_I won't be a human soon, that's why I can hear you," said the girl._

_I looked at the one who called herself Fuko, and saw her smiling at us._

"_Goodbye, Ushio-chan," said Fuko, as she turned away from us and she began to walk away into the distance. In what seemed like mere seconds, or a million years, she was gone from our sight._

"_I was having a dream. I learned a lot of things from it, and Fuko over there explained things to me and helped me remember things I had forgotten," said the girl. "Things about myself. About you."_

_She let go of my hand and continued,_

"_Will you listen to them?"_

_Yeah, I replied._

"_You and I… We used to be in the same world, before I made you and you were born into this world," she said. "We were very, very close too. That was a long time ago. Actually, we might still be."_

_So we really weren't meant to be in this world after all!, I exclaimed. Let's go back together._

"_I'm sorry, but I have to stay."_

_Why?_

"_Because, I _am_ this world," replied the girl._

_But we promised… We'd leave this world together!_

"_But if I leave, then this world will disappear. Then, many lights will only find sadness."_

_Lights? You mean all those flying lights?_

_The snowstorm continued to rage, and she said,_

"_Yes. Those are feelings of the people in the other world, the world that we came from. You were one of those lights too, before you were born into this world. We've always been there, the two worlds both closest and furthest from each other. We truly came from the same place, yet we only see things differently."_

_Another world? Is there another me there?, I asked._

_Suddenly, the snowstorm abated, and sunlight began to pierce the dark clouds._

"_You should be able to tell, since you exist in both worlds," replied the girl. "We met despite all the differences in that world. I'm contented with that. You'll soon fall asleep here and wake up in the other world. Fuko told me to tell you this. You'll meet many people, and many things will happen, and once you're there, you'll remember those people whom you had met so long ago. And then, you'll eventually meet me again."_

_I'll see you again?, I asked hopefully. In the other world?_

"_Like we see the feelings of people in the other world as lights here, my feelings will become many lights in that world, lights that shimmer brightly. Each light might be weak on its own, but when gathered together, they become stronger."_

"_Dango, dango, dango, dango, dango, daikazoku…" hummed the girl._

_I jumped. I know that song!_

"_Yes. That's the song you always sang for me."_

_Suddenly, sunbeams penetrated the clouds, and the world began to collapse. My frail garbage riddled body began to corrode, my entire physical frame torn apart by forces beyond my comprehension._

"_Sayonara… Papa," said the girl._

_My eyes opened, and I saw that I was standing at the foot of the hill going to school. My name is Tomoya Okazaki, and I'm a delinquent. I faintly remember being somewhere else before my eyes opened from my daydream…_

_The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, the wind magnificently blowing in their wake. I turned around and saw, walking down the hill, away from the school, a brown haired girl. Something then clicked in my mind, then I remembered._

"_NAGISA!!!!!!" I shouted with all my might._

_To my horror, she didn't turn around; instead, she kept walking down the lane, her head bowed dejectedly._

_Without thinking of anything else but her, I dropped my schoolbag and ran towards her as fast as I could._

"_Nagisa!" I called while running towards her._

_She finally turned, and I embraced her so tightly, wishing I never had to let go of her._

"_Nagisa… I'm right here," I whispered._

_She was surprised, but then she relaxed and said,_

"_Tomoya-kun… I'm glad you stopped me."_

"_Nagisa…" I mumbled again._

"_I was really worried that you might be thinking that you should never have met me," she said. "I'm glad I met you. I had a wonderful life."_

"_Nagisa…"_

"_So please, don't lose yourself," she whispered. "No matter what lies ahead, please don't ever regret meeting me. That's not too much to ask, right?"_

_I cupped her beautiful face in my hands, and the tears, tears of joy, began to trickle down my face._

"_You're right," I choked out. "Thank you."_

_I hugged her tightly once again. We broke apart, and she held out her hand. I took it, and we went up the hill towards school._

_When Nagisa and I checked the date on the school's bulletin board later that day, we saw that it was April 14__th__ during my senior year. The day I met Nagisa at the bottom of the hill._

_I was shocked. Her hand was still firmly in mine, both of us blissfully ignoring the stares of other students. Thankfully, I haven't met Sunohara, Kyou, or Fujibayashi yet that day. Kotomi was surely in the library, and Tomoyo was nowhere near here at the moment. None of them saw me and Nagisa being this intimate, and I asked her,_

"_Nagisa, do you remember dying?"_

"_I do, Tomoya-kun. When I was dead, I felt that I was in some kind of limbo, where everything was a dull white, where nothing ever happened, where no time passed."_

"_What else do you remember?" I asked._

"_After what felt like many, many years, the white plain-ness changed, and I was surprised to see Fu-chan in front of me."_

"_You saw Fuko too?"_

"_Yes. She told me that you were a good daddy to Ushio, even if it took you five long years to get over my death. Then she said that I'd be meeting you in a short while, and the next thing I knew, I was walking down the hill away from school where we reunited earlier."_

"_I see. When Ushio and I fell in the snowy street, I remember waking up in another world, and there was a girl there, a girl in white. She fashioned me a body made out of junk, and we did a lot of things. I remember wanting to make her happy by leaving that world… Ah!" I exclaimed._

_Many more people stared at us, and Nagisa and I quickly moved away from the bulletin board and proceeded to the school cafeteria. As we both remembered, the cafeteria was crowded during lunchtime, and like before, I said,_

"_Let's continue this after we get a bite to eat. I'll get us both cutlet sandwiches."_

"_Okay, Tomoya-kun!" she said happily._

_Later, we were at the courtyard, eating our cutlet sandwiches, when we resumed our conversation._

"_When I was in that other world, a snowstorm began to rage. The girl and I were caught outdoors, and she became very, very weak. Then Fuko appeared and whispered to her, telling her to remember who she was, who I was. Fuko said, 'It's you, Ushio-chan.'"_

_I continued._

"_That means, that girl I was with all along was indeed, Ushio. She then somehow, sent me to the bottom of the hill, where we met earlier. Somehow, Fuko knew everything and she helped Ushio save us both."_

"_Then this means that we have another chance at life, Tomoya-kun. This time, I promise that I won't die on you," said Nagisa solemnly, as she finished the last of her cutlet sandwich, while sipping on a carton of juice we got at the vending machine._

"_I'm glad to hear that. The two of us remember everything that happened, right? And that all happened in the future, so this means that we traveled back in time. Holy… Our future daughter Ushio sent us both back in time!" I exclaimed._

"_Tomoya-kun, please be quiet," said Nagisa. "If anyone else hears you, they'll think my husband is insane."_

"_Err, Nagisa, we technically aren't married yet," I pointed out._

"_Oh. Right. I wonder how things will work out with Kyou-chan, Ryou-chan, Kotomi-chan and the rest then."_

"_Okazaki-san! Nagisa-san!" called out a familiar voice from the bushes._

_Nagisa and I looked around for the voice, then we saw a party hat sticking above the bushes. The hat's owner was fidgeting in the shrubbery, and we caught a glimpse of olive green hair._

"_No… It can't be," I whispered._

"_Tomoya-kun, I think it's her," said Nagisa. "Fu-chan! Come out!"_

_And out of the bushes stepped Fuko Ibuki. She made her way towards us and Nagisa hugged her._

"_Fu-chan, thanks for everything," said Nagisa, her eyes beginning to water. "You saved all of us, me, Tomoya-kun, and Ushio-chan."_

"_Fuko," I stated._

_She looked at me with a questioning look on her face, and I continued._

"_Thank you for everything. What should we do now?"_

"_Do everything that you did in your previous lives. Okazaki-san, please help Nagisa-san reestablish the Drama Club, and make friends with the people you all made friends with in your previous lives," replied Fuko._

"_We will!" I said with conviction, taking Nagisa's hand as I said so._

"_Fuko thinks we have to do something about that," she gestured to my fingers that were intertwined with Nagisa's._

"_Huh?"_

"_Tomoya-kun and I aren't allowed to hold hands?" asked Nagisa, a confused look on her face. "But he's going to be my husband!"_

"_Fuko knows that, but the rest of your friends don't. To prevent the timeline from being disrupted further, we cannot let any of them know about the two of you being together until the time has come," she replied._

"_I understand," I replied, letting go of Nagisa's hand on the off-chance that Kyou, Sunohara, or any of the future Drama Club members could see me. "Do Sanae-san and the old man remember anything?"_

"_Fuko is sorry Okazaki-san, but they don't remember anything."_

"_Damn, so I'm still staying over with Pops… But ah! That makes things easier; I can already repair my relationship with him starting today. That's probably going to prevent him from turning to drugs, so he won't ever be arrested in the future. Then, when I graduate, I'll be able to send him up north to live with Grandmother. This is great!" I exclaimed._

"_Shhh!" chastised both Fuko and Nagisa._

"_I have a question, Fu-chan. How did you do all of this?" asked Nagisa._

"_Fuko was given powers by another girl in another world, but Fuko doesn't know how it happened. Fuko can enter different worlds and dimensions because of those powers. Kotomi-chan's uncle also has those powers, and Fuko thinks it's better for you to ask him about this," replied Fuko._

"_I see," I said._

"_Fuko also has to tell you something important. There is one more thing for you to do so that a temporal paradox will be avoided," said Fuko._

"_What is it?" Nagisa and I asked at the same time. She looked at me and blushed. I smiled at her._

"_Onee-chan and Yoshino-san must get married here in school at the Founder's Festival. That is the most important event that ties Fuko with your previous lives. You see, if you don't help Yoshino-san and Onee-chan get married here, then that means we never befriended each other in that other life for you and Nagisa-san, which means that Fuko will never have known you, which would mean that Fuko would never have saved you, which means that… Fuko is confused."_

_Fuko swayed slightly and Nagisa caught her before she toppled over out of confusion._

"_So you don't zone out anymore?" I asked, a smile forming on my face._

"_Fuko does not do that anymore, so Okazaki-san can't put a juice straw up Fuko's nose anymore."_

"_Haha, those were fun memories, weren't they? Anyway Fuko, Nagisa and I will keep that in mind. We'll make sure Kouko-san and Yoshino-san get married here at the Founder's Festival," I said._

"_We will Fu-chan. We promise," said Nagisa._

"_Fuko is happy," she replied. "You might not be seeing Fuko around for a while. Fuko has many places to visit and see."_

"_Good luck Fu-chan. Have fun," said Nagisa._

"_Do your best in everything you encounter," I added._

"_Sayonara, Okazaki-san, Nagisa-san," she said._

_She walked out of the courtyard towards the school's gates. Since the first day of my second chance at life with Nagisa, we did not see Fuko for another four years._

_

* * *

_

Soon enough, Tomoya found himself at the hospital. He checked the clock above the receptionist's desk, and saw that it was four in the morning. He headed over to Nagisa's ward, and saw her and Kyou sleeping peacefully, the same way he had left them both hours ago.

Tomoya decided to ask Kyou about the events that happened earlier when she felt better in the morning. He took a throw pillow from the couch and dragged a stool beside Nagisa's bed. He took her hand in his and fell asleep there, thinking that tomorrow, he would be able to hold hands and walk with Nagisa once more.

* * *

_A/N: Longest chapter yet. I kinda teared up while writing Tomoya's memory out since I had to rewatch Clannad After Story episode 22 to write it out properly. T____T  
_

_Also, a few clarifications are in order:_

_Fuko obtained the power of time travel when she slid into the Illusionary World and obtained a Light Orb from Ushio. This is how in the timeline of Tomoya's memories, Fuko the Dimensional Slider already existed before Haruhi Suzumiya bestowed her and Alan their Sliding powers. Sliding into the Illusionary World also warps the Slider's existence in the specified time plane, as time is nonexistent in the Illusionary World._

_Hope that cleared a few things up. Read and review please! :D_


	9. Spring: Illusionary Negotiation

_Disclaimer: All non OC characters are properties of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended by this work._

_A/N: If you're wondering why Yuuichi and Yukito don't use honorifics often, it's because they also rarely used honorifics in the animated adaptations of their visual novels. The exception is Yuuichi calling Akiko "Akiko-san"._

_

* * *

_

**Spring: Illusionary Negotiation**

Morning came, and the Ichinose household was abuzz with activity. Kotomi was in the kitchen, preparing breakfast for her guests, who were going about the house attending to their own businesses. Yuuichi was in the bathroom, taking a quick shower, while Yukito and Alan were conversing about their plans for the day. Mai was already up, reading another magazine while sitting on the living room couch.

"Yukito-san!" called Kotomi from the kitchen. "How would you like your eggs? Uncle's having his eggs hardboiled!"

"Please make mine an omelet, if it's manageable for you Kotomi!" called Yukito in reply.

"It's fine! Mai-san, what about your eggs?" called Kotomi once more.

Mai turned at the sound of her name being called, and instead of replying, she stood up and wordlessly went to the kitchen.

Kotomi was surprised when Mai entered the kitchen, instead of merely answering her question.

"Umm… Mai-san, is anything wrong?" asked Kotomi timidly.

Mai shook her head slightly and replied,

"No, it's nothing. I'd like my eggs to be sunny-side-up."

"Okay then, Mai-san," said Kotomi, who then took out another egg from the refrigerator as she said so.

However, to her surprise, Mai held out her hand towards her.

"Umm… What is it Mai-san?" asked Kotomi in a small voice.

"I'd like to assist you in cooking," said Mai in that serious voice of hers. "I also have skills in cooking, and I feel that we are not being helpful as guests. The boys are busy discussing their plans, and since I am not doing anything of importance, I would like to help you."

"Okay then, Mai-san. I'm glad to have you as a friend," said Kotomi.

Mai began to take out more cooking implements, and she started frying the bacon in the other frying pan beside the eggs that Kotomi was cooking. She then began to slice up bread, after which she placed them on a tray which she put into the toaster.

"We're having an American breakfast, is that correct?" inquired Mai.

"Yes. I've learned good ways of cooking when I stayed at the university dormitory in America," replied Kotomi cheerfully. "It makes me happy that I'm working hard to please my new friends."

Mai nodded and went back to work, and Kotomi could have sworn she saw a smile form on her face.

* * *

"Kotomi, this stuff is good!" exclaimed Yuuichi as he took a bite out of the toast.

"Umm, Yuuichi-kun, it was Mai-san who prepared the toast," replied Kotomi. "She toasted the bread and applied some liver spread to it."

Yuuichi turned to Mai and said,

"Wow Mai, this is delicious! I didn't think you were that good with cooking, but you sure proved me wrong here."

"Sayuri taught me a lot," replied Mai simply.

Breakfast proceeded in that manner, with Yuuichi, Yukito, Alan, Mai, and Kotomi eating to their heart's content.

"Thanks for the food!" they all chanted once they were done.

Kotomi and Mai began to clean up, and the other three took their places in the living room and continued their discussion from much earlier.

"So, today we ask Tomoya and his wife if we can speak to her daughter?" asked Yuuichi.

"Yeah. After that, we can decide on other things that we have to do," replied Alan.

"I have a good feeling about this," chipped in Yukito. "We were pretty close last time, don't you think?"

"Yeah, we were. This time, I hope we get the job done, for Ayu's sake," said Yuuichi, a grim look on his face.

"I've been meaning to ask you sometime now Yuuichi, but what exactly is Ayu to you?" asked Yukito.

"She's a childhood friend, one that I… hold dear," replied Yuuichi, his voice no louder than a whisper.

"You love her, don't you?" said Yukito.

After a pause, Yuuichi replied in the same voice,

"Yeah… I guess I do. It explains why I forgot everything about that town, everyone I met, everything I did, to the point that I never remembered they existed. I pushed all the memories out of my mind, because when Ayu fell from the tree, I felt as though my world had ended."

A pause, and he continued,

"Did you both know that Nayuki loved me once? Enough to ignore the fact that we were biological cousins? Probably not. On the day that Ayu had her… accident, she was brought to the hospital, where she fell into a coma. The doctors were all saying that she would never wake up, and I left the hospital, screaming and crying. I was disillusioned with everything; how could the world be so cruel to someone so wonderful? I was supposed to leave town that day, because winter break was over, so thinking of that, I mindlessly wandered towards the train station."

A tear fell from Yuuichi's eyes, and he coughed. Alan remained silent; Yukito had the decency to not mock him for showing emotion, as he remembered what he himself had felt when Misuzu died. He continued in the same somber, unshaken voice,

"And then when I was at the bench by the station where you met me, Yukito, I then saw Nayuki approach me."

* * *

_All I could do was cry. In the end, I could do nothing to help Ayu. Ayu, my best friend, she was so full of life._

_Taken away in an instant, when she fell off that accursed tree._

_I wandered over to the train station, not knowing what to do. I saw the bench where Ayu always waited for me, and sat down on it, thinking that she would never be sitting here, waiting for me, ever again. As I sat there, crying, I heard someone approach and call my name._

"_Yuuichi!"_

_I did not respond, because that wasn't Ayu's voice. Only her… She was the only thing I wanted right now. Anything less would not suffice._

"_I'm glad I was able to see you before you left," said the voice. "I've been looking for you since this morning. Hey Yuuichi, look at this, it's called a snow bunny!"_

_I looked up at the voice while the tears kept streaming down my face, ever unabating, and saw Nayuki standing in front of me, holding what appeared to be a snowball in the shape and likeness of a rabbit. She then placed the bunny on her head, smiling as she did so._

"_I made this, even though it's all I can make, but…" Nayuki hesitated, oblivious to my tears, the tears that fell continuously from my face, the tears that mourned Ayu._

"_I did my best in making it, because I wanted to give this to you. A present, for you. You see, Yuuichi… Will you accept this? We won't be seeing each other for a while after today, but… Will you come and visit us again, Yuuichi?"_

_I remained silent while Nayuki spoke; my thoughts were split into two, half listening to her, half thinking about Ayu._

"_I could never bring myself to say it, but… Yuuichi… I've always loved you," whispered Nayuki._

_I did not respond when I heard that. The problems were piling up, one by one: Ayu, in a coma, and now of all the times Nayuki had to confess to me, our status as blood relatives notwithstanding, she had to do it now!?_

"_Yuuichi? Are you alright?" she asked timidly. "Are you crying? Did something happen to you?"_

_My head was still bowed, my sadness replaced with frustration, frustration at the unfairness of the world._

"_Hey, Yuuichi? Yuui--"_

_I didn't want to take out my frustration on her, because it was simply unfair. She said that she loved me, and she would never mean any harm to me. But what really got me was that she cared so much about me, someone as useless as I, Yuuichi Aizawa, was. And then Ayu… I was the only one who cared about her, and I couldn't even help her. The realization of it all drove me beyond my breaking point._

_Before she could continue anymore, I stood up and violently knocked the snow bunny from her hand into the ground. _

_I'm sorry, but, of all the times, Nayuki, why did it have to be NOW?_

_

* * *

_

"She's better now, but until that time, three years ago, when Akiko-san got into that accident, Nayuki had never forgotten that day," whispered Yuuichi, his eyes red.

No doubt he was still in pain, remembering the pain he caused Nayuki at the time. Yukito and Alan both looked up at what he said, surprised.

"Wait. Is this the accident Akiko-san mentioned when I first arrived at her house?" asked Yukito.

"Yes, that's the one. She was on her way home, after buying a strawberry cake for Nayuki, upon her request, when she was hit by a car that ran a red light," replied Yuuichi, wiping his eyes with a handkerchief.

"But she shows no trace of the accident having happened to her when I saw her," said Yukito. "How could that be?"

"Because of Ayu. Ayu wanted Yuuichi to be happy, that is why even though she was in a coma, she invoked her powers. For Yuuichi to be happy, all his friends, the people he knew, had to become happy too. And I believe that is why Ayu cannot wake herself up. Her powers were depleted already from projecting her spirit into a corporeal form during the times that Yuuichi had been seeing her, and everything that was left was channeled into one miracle, a miracle to make Yuuichi happy," said Alan.

Yuuichi gasped, and then he exclaimed,

"That explains why Makoto didn't die! Not only that, but that's why Akiko-san mysteriously recovered quickly from the injuries she had sustained. And to top it all, that's why Shiori didn't die!"

"Shiori?" asked Yukito.

Alan nodded, and in response to Yukito's question, replied,

"Shiori was one of Yuuichi's other friends. She was always sickly, according to Yuuichi, and she was diagnosed with a chronic disease that would cause her death when her body matured enough. That point was her sixteenth birthday, but thanks to Ayu, she didn't die, instead, she miraculously recovered. As a side note, Tomoya's wife is, or rather was, similar to Shiori, but I think we'll leave Tomoya to explain that to you guys later, if he agrees to tell you guys about it."

"Yukito-kun, Yuuichi-kun, your clothes are all dry now," called Kotomi from the kitchen.

"Thank you Kotomi," the two of them called back.

"Good thing Kotomi has a washing machine and spin dryer here. Both of you left your clothes at Akiko-san's house! Idiots," muttered Alan.

"We had no idea we'd be going all the way over here Alan. I was merely expecting a courtesy call at the hospital, and then I thought that if we didn't succeed, we'd just go home and find some other way. It's actually your fault for transporting us here without taking our clothing needs into consideration. In fact, it's a good thing we left Makoto there, or else Akiko-san would be worried where Yukito and I both ran off to with you," replied Yuuichi scornfully. "By the way, how does the flow of time work when we slide into different worlds? I mean, yesterday, we were still in my world, and today, we're in your world. How much time as effectively passed anyway?"

"One day. Time runs parallel to each other in most worlds, though I know of one exception. One that we will be visiting soon enough, if Tomoya and his wife consent to helping us."

"I see. This is starting to make sense now," said Yukito. "Shouldn't we be going now?"

"Ah yeah, I think we should. I'll call the bakery up right now, after which we'll go to see him. Kotomi!," called Alan. "Are you coming with us to visit Tomoya and Nagisa?"

"Yes Uncle!" called back Kotomi.

* * *

"_Nothing could possibly ruin this day,"_ thought Tomoya.

Nagisa and Kyou were easily discharged in the morning, and all Kyou had to do was drink some herbal medicine that the doctors gave her for a week, then she'd be fine. Nagisa was perfectly healed, thanks to Mai, and he, along with Nagisa and Kyou, were headed to Kyou's apartment.

"Say Kyou, mind telling me what exactly happened yesterday?" asked Tomoya.

"Nagisa started to make us both tea, and I got thirsty while eating some of the leftover bread. I took a drink from my sports bottle, and then all of a sudden, I saw you. I don't know how, but all of a sudden, you were before my very eyes," replied Kyou.

"And let me guess, I said that I loved you, would marry you, blah blah blah, stuff like that?" asked Tomoya sarcastically.

Nagisa flushed red at that and glared at Tomoya, who sheepishly grinned and scratched his head.

"Normally Tomoya, that would be a perfect spot for a tsukkomi, but yeah, you're right. That's exactly what happened. The scary thing is, the kiss felt… real. I don't know how, but when Nagisa entered the room, you suddenly told me that she had to be silenced, since she supposedly witnessed you kissing me. That's when I started to see red, and well…"

Kyou, who had flushed red, refused to talk further, and Tomoya understood. She had been drugged, and if Kotomi was to be believed, it was using a very realistic hallucinogen, one that even she hasn't encountered. There wasn't much that Kyou could do to resist, not that she remotely _wanted_ to…

"You know… Nagisa… I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't want to be friends with me anymore. I'm a threat to your marriage with that idiot over there, so…"

"Who're you calling an idiot!?" exclaimed Tomoya.

"That's not the case Kyou-san! At least now I know that it wasn't your entire doing. You're still Ushio's teacher, and no one could ever replace you. She loves you, after all. I only have one request though," said Nagisa.

Both Tomoya and Kyou were surprised at what happened next. Nagisa put on her most intimidating face (which was actually quite intimidating, since she'd grown so much since they all finished high school), and said in a hard voice,

"Do NOT get any romantic ideas with Tomoya-kun, you hear me? He's my husband, and he'll always be mine, and no one else's!"

Kyou nodded at that, and replied,

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

"Nothing like a woman scorned, eh?" commented Tomoya.

Kyou then slapped Tomoya in the face and said,

"I get it already, I get it!"

"Dammit, that hurt!" exclaimed Tomoya, massaging his jaw.

Nagisa, who had reverted back to her usual self, said,

"Kyou-san, Tomoya-kun, that's enough!"

Tomoya and Kyou suddenly burst out laughing, as if none of the things that occurred the day before really happened. Nagisa followed suit, and soon enough, they arrived at Kyou's apartment, and Tomoya had a parting request for Kyou.

"Kyou, do me a favor and don't let Fujibayashi (_A/N: for those of you who don't know, this refers to Ryou, Kyou's sister)_ find out. You know how she can get about things like this," said Tomoya.

"Alright, alright. I wouldn't want to add to her stress anyway. She and Kappei are always busy at work… In fact, I find it miraculous that she didn't find out that Nagisa and I were confined last night," said Kyou.

"You got a point there. Anyway, see you Kyou," called Tomoya as he and Nagisa began to leave.

"Goodbye Kyou-san! Until Monday!" called Nagisa.

The two of them left Kyou's apartment and made their way towards Furukawa Bread. They had to meet up with the old man and Sanae-san, as well as to check up on Ushio. They walked silently, saying nothing, just holding hands. Tomoya never failed to be astounded at how he would always feel at peace just by being in Nagisa's presence like this.

"Oh Nagisa, I told your parents that you slipped and dislocated your left shoulder. I don't want them knowing about what Kyou did to you," said Tomoya. "So, if they ask, remember that, alright?"

"Okay, Tomoya-kun!" she said, giving him a smile.

They continued walking in silence, simply enjoying each other. Sooner or later, they arrived at Furukawa Bread, and before Tomoya could take two steps into the place, the phone rang.

"Akio-san, I'll get it!" called out a voice, which Tomoya assumed was Sanae-san's.

"Sanae-san, we're home!" called Tomoya. "I'll get it!"

"Okay!" replied Sanae-san from within the house.

"Hello?"

"Ah Tomoya, it's Alan. I called, thinking that you might have gotten your wife discharged already. We're coming over, alright?"

"Sure. Who's coming along with you?"

"All of us. Me, Mai, Yuuichi, Yukito, and Kotomi. Please be there when we arrive."

"Alright, I'll be seeing you in a bit," said Tomoya.

"See you," replied Alan, as he dropped the call.

Tomoya then turned to Nagisa, who stood and waited for him while he took the call, and said,

"Kotomi, her uncle, and some of his friends will be coming over in a bit. They need our help with something," said Tomoya. "Actually, they need Ushio's help, but of course, you're a package deal when it comes to her."

"Ushio's help? Ah… The lights that I saw when I gave birth to her… right?"

"Yeah, Nagisa. That's why we owe Fuko our gratitude. Alan's new friends… They also need our help. They did help in your recovery, so it's the least we could do, right?"

"Eh? What do you mean, Tomoya-kun?"

"One of them, a girl named Mai, has healing abilities. She was the one who accelerated your recovery. Aren't you wondering why your bruises are gone?"

"Well, I kinda thought about that…" said Nagisa.

"Yeah, it's her doing," said Tomoya.

"In that case, we should help them!"

"Nagisa," said Tomoya as he took her hand again. "I knew you'd say that. That's what I adore about you. You'd always go out of your way to help others, no matter what. Even if they were pathetic, like me."

Nagisa brushed Tomoya's hair, and replied,

"You're not pathetic, Tomoya-kun. Please believe me when I say that."

They simultaneously blushed, and Tomoya gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Tch! You've got some guts to be making out right here, brat," said a hot-blooded voice.

"Dad! You shouldn't be interrupting these kinds of situations," said Nagisa indignantly.

"That's right, Akio-san, you shouldn't!" said Sanae-san, who appeared beside him.

"Kyeeeeh… Alright, I get it already. But it's a shame, seeing my daughter all lovey-dovey with someone else," continued Akio.

"Now now Akio-san, Tomoya-san and Nagisa are part of our dreams, right?" said Sanae-san sweetly.

Akio sighed, and nodded, defeated. It still amused Tomoya how the old man could get overly dramatic with things like this. Sure, he used to be an actor, but still…

"How's Ushio?" asked Tomoya. "No problems with her last night?"

"Ah, she's in there, watching television," replied Akio.

"We were worried more about you and Nagisa. Nagisa, how's your shoulder feeling?" asked Sanae-san with a worried look on her face.

Tomoya was happy he had such a mother-in-law, one who genuinely cared, not just for her family, but friends as well. He smiled, remembering the time when Sanae-san posed as Sunohara's girlfriend to try and throw Mei off. Though that plan didn't work out as well as they had intended, he looked back on it with a smile, thinking of Sanae-san's kindness.

"I'm fine Mom. The doctor just popped my shoulder back to its original position," replied Nagisa.

She gazed at Tomoya and said wistfully,

"I wish we could do something about Tomoya-kun's shoulder too."

Tomoya's breath caught with that, and he said,

"I can have an operation, but it's too much trouble, and I don't need a good shoulder to do well in work. Yoshino-san said it himself, as long as you're doing it properly, your handicap doesn't matter in the long run."

Sanae-san smiled and spoke,

"I see, Tomoya-san. Akio-san and I are leaving for a bit. He'll be playing baseball with the kids in the park. I'm off to run some errands. You two run the shop while we're gone, okay?"

Tomoya and Nagisa nodded.

"Okay Mom!" replied Nagisa enthusiastically.

"Wait a moment, Sanae. Errands? For what? Didn't we just go to the supermarket the other day?" asked Akio.

"I have another novelty idea for making bread. This time, let's shape them like cornets, and put some pistachio jam inside them," said Sanae-san happily.

Nagisa and Tomoya laughed, knowing where this was going. Akio wasn't as mum as they were though.

"Like anyone would eat hellspawn like that," he muttered.

Sanae-san stiffened at that, and tears began to form at the corners of her eyes.

"My bread is… My bread is… Furukawa Bread's hellspawn!" she cried out while she ran out of the bakery.

Akio sighed, and grabbed some of Sanae-san's Rainbow Bread. He stuffed three into his mouth and dashed out of the shop, shouting,

"SANAE, I LOVE THEM!!"

"Never gets old, right?" chuckled Tomoya.

"Nope. Not at all," replied Nagisa.

"Papa, Mama," said a small voice.

They both turned to the hallway and saw their daughter Ushio, looking at them.

"Hi Ushio, we're back," said Tomoya.

"Ushio-chan, come to Mama," called Nagisa sweetly.

Ushio was in a flowery dress, unlike the jumpers and jeans she usually wore, and she hopped into Nagisa's arms.

"Welcome home, Mama, Papa," she said.

"Kyou must be teaching her good manners just like we do, eh Nagisa?"

"Yup, that's why I could never hate Kyou-san. She better keep away from _you_ though," said Nagisa darkly.

"Heh… Guess she should," he replied nervously. Tomoya couldn't recall when Nagisa had been this protective about him.

"Ushio, let's go to the living room and watch some TV. Hey, Tomoya-kun, could you manage the shop for a bit? I'll do my share later."

"Sure Nagisa," said Tomoya.

Nagisa and Ushio then went to the living room to watch some TV. Tomoya then proceeded to the hallway closet, took out his apron, and went to manage the shop. Apparently, the morning rush was already over, as around half the store's bread had been sold. Soon enough, familiar faces arrived.

"Yo, Okazaki," said Alan.

"Hey Tomoya," said both Yukito and Yuuichi.

"Hello Tomoya-kun," said Kotomi, bowing as she did so.

Mai, on the other just nodded when Tomoya's eyes fell on her.

"I take it you're here to speak with Nagisa as well?" asked Tomoya.

"Yeah, we are. If you'll excuse us for intruding then," replied Alan nonchalantly.

The five of them then proceeded to the living room with Tomoya. Nagisa and Ushio were just there, watching TV, when they entered. Nagisa appeared a bit surprised at the people who arrived. She recognized Kotomi and her uncle, but not the other three people.

"Hello Kotomi-chan, Alan-san," said Nagisa as she stood up, bowing.

"Hey Tomoya, that's your daughter over there, right?" asked Yukito.

"Yeah, she's four years old."

"_Four years old?" _mouthed Yuuichi at Alan, who nodded.

They seemed to be dumbfounded at finding out that the one who held the power they needed was a four year old toddler.

"Don't worry guys, don't let looks deceive you," said Alan.

"Umm… Who might you all be? Are you friends of Alan-san and Kotomi-chan?" asked Nagisa nervously.

"My name is Yukito Kunisaki," said Yukito.

"I'm Yuuichi Aizawa," said Yuuichi, bowing.

"My name is Mai Kawasumi," said Mai.

"Eh? Mai-san? Were you the one who healed me?" asked Nagisa, who seemed dumbstruck.

Mai just nodded, and Nagisa spoke,

"Ah… Then, in that case, thank you very much."

She bowed again, and continued,

"Umm… My name is Nagisa Okazaki. This is our daughter Ushio."

"Hello," said Ushio cutely.

Everyone smiled at her as she said that; it was as if all their problems had evaporated into nothingness during that split-second.

"I'll go make some tea then," said Nagisa.

"I'll help you, Nagisa-chan," said Kotomi enthusiastically.

"No, it's fine, Kotomi-chan, please stay here with the rest of them."

Kotomi halfheartedly nodded, and sat back down. Tomoya turned off the TV, and plopped Ushio onto his lap as he sat down on the floor. The others followed suit as well.

"Let's wait for Nagisa before we discuss this," said Tomoya, who could hear Nagisa humming the Dango Daikazoku song from the kitchen while she was brewing their tea.

"Yuuichi, I've confirmed what Alan told us earlier," said Mai. "I can detect another presence within her."

Tomoya caught wind of this and asked,

"Within who? What are you talking about?"

"Your daughter," replied Alan. "The one who saved you and Nagisa. We need her help."

"Ah yes, I've agreed to that, and I'm sure Nagisa will too, but she has to be at least appraised on this at the moment."

At that precise moment, Nagisa entered the room with a tray full of teacups and one teapot. She started to serve tea to everyone, and when she was done, she took her place beside Tomoya.

"So Nagisa, we need to ask you a favor," began Alan.

"Are you talking about the Light Orbs? I'd be happy to help, if you can persuade Ushio over here," said Nagisa.

"_Well, that was rather easy,_" thought Alan. "Alright then, we will. Mai, Yukito, Yuuichi, please hold each other's hands."

They complied, and Alan took Mai's and Yuuichi's hand in his.

"Nagisa, Tomoya, don't be surprised about what's about to happen here. Just know that I have the same abilities as Fuko. Also, don't be surprised if Ushio becomes unconscious," said Alan, reassuring them both.

Tomoya nodded immediately, having seen this before, whereas Nagisa looked slightly thoughtful. After a while, she nodded as well.

"Please let Ushio sit in your lap Nagisa. Here goes then," said Alan.

They disappeared, leaving Tomoya, Nagisa, and Kotomi behind; Ushio suddenly became dead weight in Nagisa's arms.

"Nagisa, don't panic, alright? Ushio's fine," said Tomoya soothingly.

* * *

When the group came to, they found that they were in a wheat field, and light orbs were flying into the sky wherever they looked.

"Where are we?" asked Yukito.

"We're inside Ushio's mind. Her mind is an entire dimension in itself," replied Alan.

Yuuichi turned to Mai and said,

"Hey Mai, this looks a lot like the field we first met each other in."

Mai nodded, and Alan pointed into the distance.

"There. There she is. The one we have to talk to."

They looked at where Alan was pointing, and they saw a girl dressed in white, smiling at them.

* * *

_A/N: I can't say much about what I've written at the moment, so… R&R please!_


	10. Hiatus Notice

**Hiatus Notice**:

Sorry for this being really late, but yeah, I probably won't be writing anything for a while, 'cause school's pretty busy (not an ounce of vacation for me).

I'll be back soon, but I may still be able to upload a chapter or two in a few weeks. Depends on the workload I'm getting. :|

Until then!

~Vaarsuvius~


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